Egyptian hardline cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has issued a fatwa urging Egyptians to ignore a call by the army chief to stage rallies in order to take mandate to fight “terrorism”.

Egyptian hardline cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has issued a fatwa urging Egyptians to ignore a call by the army chief to stage rallies in order to take mandate to fight “terrorism”.

The Fatwa was issued by Qaradawi’s Association of Muslim Scholars late Wednesday "prohibiting (Egyptians from) responding to any call leading to civil war or covering up (the army's actions) of violence against any party, or inciting sedition". 

Egypt's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday called for mass rallies on Friday to support a security force crackdown on "terrorism and violence".
With tensions already running high three weeks after the military ousted president Mohammad Mursi, Sisi's call for demonstrations raises the prospect of further deadly violence.

His call was denounced by Islamists in Egypt who branded it a call to "civil war" ahead of their own mass protests on Friday to demand Mursi's reinstatement.

Qaradawi's Doha-based association urged "all Egyptians -- people, parties, army and police -- to preserve their country's security and prevent all that could lead to a civil war in which all sides will be losers".

Qaradawi has earlier called to fight all those who ousted Mursi, as he considered his overthrow as invalid.