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Makarem’s message goes further, warning Muslims around the globe that failure to respond to these so-called threats is forbidden:
“Any cooperation or support for that enemy by Muslims or Islamic states is haram or forbidden. It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes.”
That’s not just a stern rebuke—it’s a call to arms cloaked in religious authority, aimed squarely at the West, especially the United States and Israel.
The fatwa, translated and circulated online by foreign policy expert Mark Dubowitz, opens with grave theological weight:
“It is clear that threatening the leader of the Islamic world, as well as the esteemed sources of emulation, is a war against Islam.”
Citing Quranic verses about punishment for “those who wage war against God and His Messenger,” the statement concludes that silence in the face of such perceived threats is itself a sin.
“I consider it haram (forbidden) to remain silent in the face of such threats,” the fatwa states, calling for “united action” by Muslims worldwide.
The wording leaves no ambiguity—resistance is not optional, it is religiously mandated.
Iranian analyst Khosro Isfahani drew immediate parallels between this new edict and the infamous fatwa against author Salman Rushdie. That 1989 religious decree led to decades of assassination attempts, culminating in a 2022 attack in New York that left Rushdie severely wounded and blind in one eye.
“This is a Fatwa (religious edict) signed and sealed by a grand ayatollah,” said Isfahani. “In principle similar to the murder Fatwa against Salman Rushdie.”
Unlike Iran’s oft-cited (but never documented) fatwa supposedly forbidding nuclear weapons, this edict is real, formal, and already being weaponized in rhetoric.
To understand the weight of this declaration, it’s crucial to know what a “Marja” is. In Shia Islam, a Marja is the highest-ranking cleric—considered a source of emulation, the authority for religious rulings. They hold immense influence over millions of Shia Muslims globally. A threat against them is viewed not just as political hostility but as an attack on the faith itself.
This announcement comes at a time when tensions between Iran, the U.S., and Israel are already nearing a breaking point. The open call for action against the U.S. President—unnamed but clearly referring to Donald Trump, who has long been vilified by the Iranian regime—raises the threat of targeted violence.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t idle talk. The Iranian regime has a documented history of backing assassination attempts abroad, from former U.S. officials to dissidents and journalists.
In an increasingly unstable Middle East, a religious call for holy war against Western leaders should sound alarm bells worldwide. This fatwa is not just religious dogma—it’s a green light for extremists who see themselves as executing divine justice.
With Iran doubling down on hostility and openly invoking religious law to justify possible violence, the world must take this threat seriously—and hold Tehran accountable before it’s too late.
