'Haram': Islam forbids cursing Israel, warns Israeli government

The Israeli government has warned Muslims that "insulting Israel" is forbidden by Islamic law because the country shares its name with a prophet.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry's Arabic-language Twitter account on Saturday posted footage of an Egyptian cleric urging people to not curse the name of the Jewish state.

"Did you know that insulting Israel is haram (forbidden)?" the government-run account said.

The ministry cited Khaled al-Gindi - well-known pro-government sheikh - as the source of the religious edict.

"Don't insult Israel.. the word 'Israel' is the name of a prophet in Islam. Take care to not let your tongue slip and insult this word," Gindi says in a clip taken from a religious programme.

The cleric also urges viewers to "disregard their hostile stance to the state of Israel" and refrain from cursing the country by name.

The provocative post comes during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and avoid swearing during the day.

Israel is another name for the prophet Jacob, who is considered to be a prophet by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries to have a peace treaty with Israel, although normalisation with the Jewish state has become more prominent in the region.

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