The website of the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Egypt has published a fatwa issued by senior Islamic scholars permitting attacks on U.S. and Israeli websites, Adnkronos International has reported.

“This Jihad is not different from the armed one. In fact, it might be more important if you consider the global dimensions of the Internet. Whoever wins this war will become the strongest in the realm of information,” the fatwa stated.

Attacks on web sites belonging to rival Islamic sects are becoming more common, the Christian Science Monitor has reported. Shiite and Sunni hackers have been shutting down or defacing websites belonging to prominent leaders in each other’s faiths in recent weeks, escalating to what some are calling a “virtual sectarian battle.” Others believe that counter-terrorism agencies are responsible for triggering the conflict.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which praised the fatwa, is a radical Islamic organization whose members have inspired many terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and Al-Qaeda. The Muslim Brotherhood maintains it is not connected to terrorism and has condemned the attacks of September 11, 2001. The group has been suspected of operating in the United States, but it is not listed as a terrorist organization.