A-G orders investigation into Jerusalem Mufti

Cleric to be investigated on suspicion of incitement after citing hadith calling on Muslims to kill Jews.

The attorney-general, Yehuda Weinstein, decided on Tuesday to ask police to open aninvestigation into anti-Jewish remarks made by Jerusalem Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Hussein.

On Tuesday afternoon, deputy state attorney Shai Nitzan sent a letter to the police asking them to investigate the Mufti on suspicions of racism and incitement to violence.


The Mufti made the remarks during a conference in Ramallah to mark 47 years since the founding of the Fatah movement, when he cited a hadith (written recordings of sayings and deeds attributed to Islamic prophet Mohammed) that calls for the killing of Jews.

Known as Sahih Muslim, the hadith cited by the Mufti calls on Muslims to kill Jews: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say OMuslims, servants of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." Notably, the same hadith is also incorporated into Article 7 of terror group Hamas' 1988 covenant.

According to the State Attorney's Office, other harsh anti-Jewish statements have also been attributed to the Mufti. The attorney-general's request for a police investigationcomes after prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu called on Weinstein on Sunday to investigate the Mufti for incitement.

"These are grave words that the world needs to condemn," Netanyahu said.

Responding to the allegations of incitement on Israel Radio Sunday, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein denied inciting the murder of Jews, saying he was just quoting the Islamic text. "I can't change the hadith," he added.