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** Who Counsels Qatar and Turkey, Hamas's Representatives on Trump's Board of Peace? ([link removed])
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by Khaled Abu Toameh • January 22, 2026 at 5:00 am
* The Islamic theologians seemed to reject calls for disarming Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in accordance with Trump's 20-point plan for peace in the Gaza Strip.
* So long as Hamas directs its attacks only against Israel, the Arabs and Muslims do not view the terror group as a threat to their national security.
* "We view Hamas from the perspective of the Palestinian cause, which must remain the pre-eminent cause not just for the union but for all Arabs, Muslims, and free humanitarians in the world. Hamas is defending the rights of the nation, and the nation must stand by those who defend its preeminent cause." — Ali Al-Qaradaghi, chairman of the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, Al-Monitor, April 19, 2015.
* Reminder: Hamas, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, does not recognize Israel's right to exist.... Hamas's 1988 charter opens with a quote from Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan Al-Banna: "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam obliterates it, just as it obliterated others before it."
* In 2025, IUMS issued another fatwa legitimizing Jihad against the "Zionist entity" and its allies involved in the war in the Gaza Strip... [and] called on governments to intervene militarily and economically, prohibited any support or cooperation with Israel, and urged the formation of a unified Islamic military alliance.
* Qatar and Turkey, which now serve as the unofficial representatives of Hamas on Trump's Board of Peace, will undoubtedly do their utmost to ensure that the terror group continues to exist, both as a political and military entity, and play a key role in the future management of the Gaza Strip.... Qatar and Turkey should be invited to join a Board of Jihadists, not a board whose stated goal is to achieve peace and stability and pave the way for normalization between Israel and Arabs and Muslims.
* The inclusion of Qatar and Turkey in the Board of Peace will only promote Jihad against Israel and its allies and empower other Islamist terror groups.

At a recent meeting in Istanbul, the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) issued a fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) that "affirms the prohibition of normalization with the Zionist enemy [Israel] in all its forms." The IUMS is closely associated with the governments of Qatar and Turkey. Since its founding, it has incited its followers to terrorism and Jihad (holy war). Pictured: IUMS Secretary-General Ali al-Qaradaghi (L) speaks with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal at an IUMS conference in Doha, Qatar on September 21, 2014. (Photo by Faisal Al-Tamimi/AFP via Getty Images)

As Qatar and Turkey are set to play a key role in US President Donald J. Trump's "Board of Peace" for the Gaza Strip, it is important to note that both countries do not believe in any peace process between Israel and the Arab and Islamic countries, and they continue to embrace and sponsor Islamists who support Islamist terrorists.

On January 18, leaders of the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), described as an "independent" body of Islamic theologians, met in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss a number of issues related to the Arab and Islamic countries.

The IUMS, a largely Sunni group that also has offices in Dublin, Ireland, is closely associated with the governments of Qatar and Turkey. Since its founding, IUMS has incited its followers to terrorism and Jihad (holy war). Its chairman, Ali Al-Qaradaghi, said in a recent interview that Qatar and Turkey are "our biggest supporters and founders."

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