By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 15 August 2015:
In his strongest statement so far about the Islamic State, Sheikh Sadek Al-Ghariani has called . . .[restrict]it a “cancer” which has to be destroyed.
In a statement issued by his Dar Al-Ifta (Fatwa House), the controversial sheikh, sacked by the House of Representatives as the country’s Grand Mufti, called on the General National Congress (GNC, the government it appointed and revolutionaries, as well as the Libyan National Army under Khalifa Hafter to fight IS.
Still considered as Grand Mufti of Libya by the GNC and the rest of the Libya Dawn regime in Tripoli, he said that the military and anyone capable of taking up arms should head to Sirte and defend those attacked by IS. It defiled Islam by claiming to be its sole authority and spokesman, he added.
His call on Hafter’s forces to join with Libya Dawn and attack IS is unprecedented. He has consistently demonised Hafter over the past year. However, now he describes IS as “the real enemy”.
His description of IS as a cancer mirrors that of one of the main IS leader in Sirte, Hussein Al-Karamy, who yesterday said that Salafism is a cancer and must be destroyed.
Ghariani is widely seen as a Salafist. [/restrict]
