The Israel-Sudan peace deal and, fingers crossed, the one that will be forged with Saudi Arabia, reflect diplomatic and political interests but, when it comes to religious Muslim nations, peace needed divine authorization.
In both countries, rulers need the backing of religious leaders and in both, there have recently been unprecedented statements by senior clerics supporting peace with the Jewish state and rapprochement with Jews.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Islam had and still has a negative role in the approach Arab states take toward Israel and Jews in general. Since the establishment of the Zionist enterprise and the State of Israel, an absolute majority of the clerics in the Muslim world have determined that it is "haram," meaning something that is religiously forbidden.
Many of them called, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, to fight and destroy Israel, and some have even encouraged deadly terrorism. Against the backdrop of this anti-Israel tradition, the Muslim voices urging to normalize ties with Israel stand out.
Sudan, which has recently joined the list of Muslim countries seeking peace with Israel, may have introduced an official separation of religion and state about a month ago, but it is still a religious state, where the law is based on Sharia.
The Sudanese population is very religious, and clerics have considerable clout over public life. The struggle between senior Sudanese clerics over normalization with Israel is part of the country's "agony of peace": The official Sudanese Fatwa Council issued a ruling stating that Islam forbids establishing relations with the Jewish state and in response, one of the country's top clerics issued a counter-fatwa stating that, as Islam favors "sulha" or "peace," there is no ban on relations with Israel, and these are even desirable if they serve the Sudanese interest.
The more significant drama took place in Saudi Arabia, which is governed by Sharia law, and its legislators are members of the Shura Council, the sages, and they have great sway over the public sphere.
When the Imam of the Great Mosque of Mecca, one of the top clerics not only in Saudi Arabia but in the entire Muslim world, said in a Friday sermon some time ago that Islam is a religion of peace that welcomes relations with Jews and the Jewish religion, he rattled the Muslim world to its core.
any interpreted his statement as one greenlighting Riyadh's future rapprochement with Jerusalem. In addition, in recent days, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has been steadily appointing moderate clerics to the Shura Council, including one who has been leading normalization with Jews and Israelis for several years.
Clerics play a key role in the running of the states that have recently stuck peace with Israel. Without them, even if normalization is achieved, it cannot evolve into warm and close relations – something that was once fantasy and now seem more real than ever.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
