Islamic Caliphate | Grand Imam Calls for Muslim Union

When ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) declared itself to be a Muslim caliphate known as Islamic State (IS) they made it the duty of every Muslim to pledge allegiance to the caliph. In this case, the caliph is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS. If they do not pledge allegiance to al-Baghdadi, they are consider apostate and under the sentence of death. Also by declaring itself to be a caliphate, IS has declared all borders between Islamic countries to be void. They have declared all leadership of all countries and groups equally void. All allegiance is now owed to the caliph alone. The majority of Muslims do not believe that ISIS meets the requirements of a caliphate. But there is more to it than just the declaration of a few thousand jihadists. By declaring a caliphate IS has filled an empty spot deeply felt by many Muslims. Islam is not a just a religion. It is a complete religious, governmental, military and economic system. The caliphate is the ultimate expression of this system. And without a caliph, Muslims in the world lack direction and necessary structure in their lives. They desire a single voice to speak for Allah. This is why many thousands of Muslims have traveled from all over the world at great personal risk to join IS despite the fact that they do not truly believe in the authority of al-Baghdadi. At this point, IS is the only caliphate.

It is with this in mind that that we see from Vatican Radio that;

“the Grand Imam of Al Azhar University in Cairo, Muhammad Al-Tayyeb, and other Islamic leaders will be participating in an international interfaith conference organized by the Sant’Egidio Community in Florence 8-9 June. In an interview with an Italian daily ahead of the meeting, Al Tayyeb called for a union of Muslim countries based on the example of the European Union as a response to the Caliphate that the so-called Islamic State militant group wants to create.” 

When the Imam uses the phrase “union of Islamic countries”, what he is talking about is a caliphate. He wants to replace IS with another caliphate, one with more legitimacy.

Al-Azhar University is the most prestigious university in Sunni Islam. Al-Azhar has former and current students in positions of power all over the world. And Grand Imam al-Tayyeb is Sunni Islam's most respected religious scholar. He has a great deal of authority within the Muslim world. When he calls for a union of Muslim countries, he believes he has the backing to make it happen. And it is obvious from the article below that the Roman Catholic Church is on board.

Iraqi Church leader applauds idea of EU-like Muslim Union

(Vatican Radio) The Grand Imam of Al Azhar University in Cairo, Muhammad Al-Tayyeb, and other Islamic leaders will be participating in an international interfaith conference organized by the Sant’Egidio Community in Florence 8-9 June.

In an interview with an Italian daily ahead of the meeting, Al Tayyeb called for a union of Muslim countries based on the example of the European Union as a response to the Caliphate that the so-called Islamic State militant group wants to create.

Tracey McClure spoke to Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda whose diocese of Erbil, Kurdistan has welcomed tens of thousands of Christians and other refugees fleeing persecution by ISIS. She asked him how much support would a Muslim Union have in the Arab world and would it resolve the conflicts in the region?

“I am pleased to hear these statements and it’s a courageous statement by Al Azhar and I think we need also not just to hear these statements, [but also] see ways of realizing these initiatives,” Archbishop Warda says.  

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