Iran’s leading Shiite religious authority issued a “fatwa” against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi’s fatwa, a religious decree, like one issued against prize-winning author Salman Rushdie, calls on Muslims to bring down the American and Israeli leaders for threatening the Islamic Republic leadership, as reported by the New York Sun. The decree states that any person or administration threatening the unity and leadership of the global Islamic community (the Ummah) should be classified as a “warlord” or “mohareb” – one who wages war against God. Iranian legislation permits execution, crucifixion, amputation of limbs, or banishment for those deemed mohareb.“Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be considered warlords,” Makarem declared in the ruling. He concluded with a prayer seeking protection from these “enemies” and requesting the prompt arrival of the Mahdi, a prophesied figure in Shiite Islam.This religious decree followed the “12-Day War,” during which American and Israeli operations reportedly caused substantial damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.On June 13, Israeli air attacks struck Iranian nuclear and military installations, reportedly causing casualties among senior scientists and commanders. Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israeli urban centres. The United States entered the conflict a week afterwards, targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities.Trump had previously cautioned that further Iranian uranium enrichment to weapons-grade would trigger additional American responses. This statement followed a brief cessation of hostilities that ended 12 days of intense fighting.Iranian clerics have previously issued fatwas encouraging violence.The most notable instance was the 1989 edict against author Salman Rushdie following the publication of “The Satanic Verses,” which numerous Muslims found offensive. This fatwa forced Rushdie into hiding, resulted in the killing of a Japanese translator, and sparked various attacks on the book’s publishers. Rushdie has endured several assassination attempts since, including a 2023 stabbing in upstate New York that cost him an eye.
