One of the world’s highest authorities of Sunni Islam, the Grand Shaykh of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, has stated again that suicide bombers are considered “martyrs” under Islamic law.

The Grand Shaykh of Al-Azhar Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi announced on Sunday [2 November] that suicide-bombers who are defending their land are seen as martyrs in Islamic shari'ah law.

Anybody blowing himself up in the face of an the occupiers of his land is a martyr, said Shaykh Tantawi in response to a question about the Islamic shari'ah stance over the Palestinians who blow up their bodies against the Israelis.

He stressed, however, that Islam did not allow the killing of innocent civilians and children but only invaders and aggressors.

“Invaders and aggressors” are very flexible words, of course, and can also include New York office workers and Russian theater-goers and Aussie nightclubbers.

But remember; it’s just a small minority of fanatic extremists who have hijacked a tolerant, peaceful religion, and the US gives Egypt more than $2 billion a year in foreign aid.