Why can there be no normalization with Israel, in Al-Raysouni’s view? Because of Islam. The Jews in the Qur’an are called the strongest of all people in enmity toward the Muslims (5:82); they fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah (2:79; 3:75, 3:181); they claim that Allah’s power is limited (5:64); they love to listen to lies (5:41); they disobey Allah and never observe his commands (5:13). They are disputing and quarreling (2:247); hiding the truth and misleading people (3:78); staging rebellion against the prophets and rejecting their guidance (2:55); being hypocritical (2:14, 2:44); giving preference to their own interests over the teachings of Muhammad (2:87); wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them (2:109); feeling pain when others are happy or fortunate (3:120); being arrogant about their being Allah’s beloved people (5:18); devouring people’s wealth by subterfuge (4:161); slandering the true religion and being cursed by Allah (4:46); killing the prophets (2:61); being merciless and heartless (2:74); never keeping their promises or fulfilling their words (2:100); being unrestrained in committing sins (5:79); being cowardly (59:13-14); being miserly (4:53); being transformed into apes and pigs for breaking the Sabbath (2:63-65; 5:59-60; 7:166); and more. They are under Allah’s curse (9:30), and Muslims should wage war against them and subjugate them under Islamic hegemony (9:29).
“President Of International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Moroccan Islamic Scholar Ahmad Al-Raysouni In Controversial Interview: We Should Organize A Jihad March In Western Sahara And Algeria’s Tindouf; Establishing Mauritania Was A Mistake; Normalization With Israel Is A Mark Of Shame; Moroccan Jews Who Emigrated Were Traitors,” MEMRI, July 29, 2022:
Moroccan Islamic Scholar Ahmad Al-Raysouni, the president of the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), said in a July 29, 2022 interview on Blanca TV (Morocco/Online) that Mauritania and the Western Sahara region should be a part of Morocco, that their separation from Morocco is a “colonialist fabrication”, and that a Jihad march should be organized into Western Sahara and the Algerian city of Tindouf, where there are large populations of West Saharan refugees.…
Ahmad Al-Raysouni: “This so-called normalization [with Israel] is, undoubtedly, a mark of shame in the history of Morocco.
[…]
“Obviously, this normalization will not last. It may last for a few years or decades, but as the Moroccans say, you cannot force love with a sword. Some Moroccans are now forced to demonstrate their love to Israel and to welcome their Jewish ‘brothers,’ who left and are now returning [as tourists]. Or maybe it is their children and grandchildren that are coming now. [They say] that Morocco will benefit from this and will become internationally stronger. The Moroccans are expected to say all this, and the universities, actors, and businessmen are forced to welcome [the Israeli tourists]. But all of this is like forcing love with a sword. You cannot force love with a sword. Therefore, this artificial love will come to an end. It will run its course. Israel itself will come to an end and leave us hanging. This is really a mark of shame. Morocco does not need this.
[…]
“If Morocco was an aggressor when it sent its army, they will demand an apology after a while, and then reparations. They will also demand reparations for the Jews who emigrated from Morocco. They will claim that those Jews left homes and shops behind, whereas the truth is that they smuggled money [out of the country]. They left as traitors and now they are coming back. This is a big problem. A big problem.
[…]
“Unfortunately, the treatment of the Western Sahara problem is done without the involvement of the Moroccan people. This has led some officials to delude themselves that Israel would help us. They said that they should bring Israel in. But had they relied on the Moroccan people, which number 53 million, who are ready to wage Jihad with their money and their souls, and to mobilize like they did in the [1975] Green March, and to shatter the hopes of people who seek the secession of Western Sahara, and to cause problems for Morocco… If the king called for a march, millions of Moroccans will come. Millions. If the king called for any form of Jihad, if he called for a Jihad with money – we are ready. The Moroccan Islamic scholars and preachers are ready to spend weeks and months in Western Sahara, and in [the Algerian city] Tindouf… We will not settle for a march to Laâyoune. There will also be a march to Tindouf. Unfortunately, instead of relying on the people, the state decided to rely on Israel. I wish the state realizes that this is a mere illusion and rely on the people again.”
