Musa al-Qarni

Musa Al-Qarni (; 1954 – 12 October 2021) was a Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar, academic, and lawyer. He was known for his conservative views on jihad and Western intervention in the Middle East, and was associated with the Islamist reformist current in Saudi Arabia. Al-Qarni was arrested in 2007 as part of a group of activists known as the "Jeddah Reformers" and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He died in custody in 2021 under circumstances described by human rights organizations as suspicious and violent.

Political and religious views Al-Qarni argued that armed jihad was a necessary and legitimate component of Islam when used to defend against aggression. He believed that fighting against aggression and tyranny, both from the Soviet Union and the United States, is a fundamental aspect of Islam. In public remarks, he criticized those who denied that Islam sanctioned the use of force, stating that the sword could be used when necessary:

He was vocally critical of U.S. military actions in the Middle East, particularly the invasion of Iraq. He described American forces as aggressors and stated that armed resistance against them was a form of legitimate jihad:

I think that fighting the Americans on the land of Iraq is jihad, that the Americans are aggressors, and that the [fighting] of Iraqis and Muslims against the Americans in Iraq constitutes a legitimate and obligatory defense. The Americans are the aggressors. "Those who came from Florida, from Washington, and so on - is Iraq their country? Is it their land? Is it their property? What brought them? How can we explain this? By any standard, this is aggression. "Nobody says that defense against aggression..."