Influential Muslim Cleric Youssef El Qaradawi, head of the Association of Muslim Scholars (Photo: Al-Ahram Arabic language news website)
During a meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, leading Sunni Muslim clerics issued a call for jihad against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his allies, condemning the conflict as a "war on Islam," according to Reuters news agency on Thursday.
Influential Muslim cleric Youssef El-Qaradawy, head of the Association of Muslim Scholars, along with the heads and representatives of Islamic authorities in Arab and Islamic countries, attended the meeting.
The president confirmed during the meeting that Egyptians stand in solidarity with all Syrians.
He explained that the suffering of the Syrian people required the unity of Arab and Islamic efforts to end the crisis.
The delegation confirmed the importance of Egypt in the region and said it appreciated Egyptian efforts in the Syrian crisis.
The clerics also expressed their desire to continue these efforts until a settlement of Syria crisis is found.
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his regime are Alawites, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
The rift between Sunnis and Shias is the largest and oldest in the history of Islam, sometimes sparking open sectarian conflict.
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