Facebook deletes IUMS page after union issues fatwa to boycott Israel

07 Jan 2021; MEMO: The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has condemned the removal of its page by Facebook on Tuesday and has launched a new one, calling on "all Muslims and fair people in the world" to support the organisation.

In a statement, the IUMS attributed the removal of its Facebook page to its support of causes, such as the Palestinian cause.

The statement conveyed: "Because of the stances of the International Union of Muslim Scholars in favour of truth and support of the causes of our nation, we were surprised today by the news of the removal of our Facebook page after successive attempts to hack our websites."

The statement added: "Facebook administration took this grudgeful step because we said the truth and defended the just causes of our nation in Palestine and elsewhere."

The incident comes after a fatwa was published on the union's Facebook page on Saturday, urging that a comprehensive and economic boycott of the Israeli occupation is required, until its withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories.

The statement continued: "We call on behalf of the union to all Muslims and fair people of the world, especially the people of knowledge and chivalry, to stand with the union and with its new page, to stand with the truth, ward off injustices and tyranny, and protect the voice of truth that is intended to be silenced by all means."

The statement added: "Our previous official page on Facebook is one of the most active pages with more than three million followers. We expect your support, assistance and back up by clicking the link below, sharing, liking and publishing the page on the largest scale."

The union published the following link for its new page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unionofmuslimscholars

The IUMS aims to be a legitimate central reference in the context of peaceful coexistence with the rest of the world's communities.

The IUMS, a popular Islamic institution established in Dublin in 2004, includes members from the countries of the Muslim world, minorities and Islamic groups, and is managed by a general assembly, a board of trustees, an executive office, a presidency office and a general secretariat.

The union's headquarters were transferred in 2011 to the Qatari capital, Doha, based on a decision issued by the organisation's Executive Council.