CAIRO, March 17: The sheikh of Al-Azhar, the world’s leading Sunni Muslim authority, said a call issued last week for Muslims to resist a possible US-led invasion of Iraq did not mean engaging in “terrorism,” in remarks published on Monday.

“Jihad (holy war in Arabic) to defend Iraq will be a duty to all Muslims ... but there is a difference between jihad and terrorism,” Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper.

Tantawi said that any invasion of Iraq would not be a “crusade,” saying that Pope John Paul II and other Christian leaders were opposed to the strike.

Jihad is a broad term that basically refers to the Muslims’ duty to defend themselves against an armed enemy. It also includes actions made in support of such resistance, such as offering financial assistance or praying.

A committee of Al-Azhar theologians issued a statement on March 11 calling on Muslims and Arabs to fight “a jihad” against a US-led attack on Iraq.

It warned that the US’ “determination to strike Iraq is a prelude to other strikes targeting the rest of the Arab world.”

Al-Azhar strongly condemned the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, and has constantly said since then that jihad is only permitted against fighting forces.

The sheikh of Al-Azhar is appointed by President Hosni Mubarak, whose government is a close US ally and a key intermediary in efforts to achieve Arab-Israeli peace.—AFP