In a formal statement, Ayatollah Najafi expressed full support for the fatwas issued by prominent Iranian religious authorities, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi and Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, who both declared the U.S. president as an enemy of Islam in response to his offensive comments.
“Insulting the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution is not tolerable in any way,” Ayatollah Najafi declared. “Such statements amount to open enmity towards Islam, the Islamic Ummah, and the sanctity of religious leadership.”
A Global Religious Authority Defended
Ayatollah Najafi emphasized Ayatollah Khamenei’s unique and revered status as both the religious authority for millions of Shia Muslims and a symbol of leadership for the broader Islamic world. He described any act of disrespect toward him as “unforgivable and unacceptable”, underscoring its deep spiritual and political implications.
A Religious Call to Action
Citing the fatwas issued by the Shia scholars, Ayatollah Najafi went further, stating:
“The U.S. President is an open enemy of Islam. It is religiously obligatory upon all Muslims to oppose and protest such individuals. Anyone who suffers loss or harm in the process is considered a mujahid fi sabilillah (a fighter in the path of God).”
The statement echoed rising outrage across the Muslim world following Trump’s controversial remarks, which were widely perceived as not only a personal attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader but also an affront to the entire Islamic nation and its religious sanctities.
Context and Fatwas
The remarks of Ayatollah Najafi come in the wake of two influential fatwas issued by senior Iranian scholars. In their decrees, both Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi and Grand Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani condemned Trump’s insult and labeled him an enemy of Islam and Muslims, warning of the spiritual and political consequences of such hostilities.
Ayatollah Najafi’s firm stance adds to a growing chorus of voices across the Shia world calling for unity, resistance, and defense of religious leadership amid escalating political tensions.
