Islamic figures support truce of Islamic Salvation Army in Algeria

Islamic scholars and intellectuals on Tuesday signed a joint statement in which they welcomed the declaration made by the Islamic Salvation Army to ultimately halt its operations in Algeria.

They praised Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who instructed the government to give the truce a legal and political cover.

The statement appreciated the Islamic Salvation Army's response to the "truce initiative" and called on "all armed groups to join this brave measure in the service of Islam and Algeria." Moreover, the signatories of the statement called on the Islamic Salvation Front (the Islamic Salvation Army's political wing) to "be faithful to their leadership represented by Sheikh Abbasi Madani and his brothers."

The statement bears the signature of 32 Islamic scholars and intellectuals, including Youssef al-Qardawi, Muhammad Mahdi Shamseddine (the chairman of the higher Shiite Islamic council in Lebanon), Ahmad Yassin (Hamas-Palestine), Khaled Mishal ( the chairman of the political bureau of the Hamas movement-Palestine), Hijatul Islam Hadi Khasro Shahi (Qum- Iran), Abdul Lateif Arabayat (the secretary general of the Islamic Work Front - Jordan), Muhammad Salim al-Awwa (Egypt), Faisal Mulawi (the secretary general of the Islamic Group - Lebanon), Adel Hussein (the secretary general of the Labor Party-Egypt), Mane' al-Juhni and Ahmad al-Tweijari (members of the Saudi Shoura council), Ramadan Shallah (the secretary general of the Islamic Jihad Movement-Palestine), Ali Sader al-Eddine al-Bayanouni (the observer general of the Muslim Brotherhood - Syria), Rashed al-Ghanoushi (al-Nahda movement - Tunisia), and Ahmad al-Raysouni (the reform and monotheism movement - Morocco).

The statement was released in London on Tuesday.