Al-Qaeda leaders called on widows of their slain militants to participate in Jihad al-Nikah and offer themselves to their militants who are fighting in Syria. Governor of al-Khalis in Iraq’s Diyala Province, Oudai Al Khadran, was quoted by al-Sumeria news that \"Intelligence cells commissioned with monitoring al-Qaeda’s activities within Diyala’s borders have reported that the highly-ranked officials in the organization urged the widows of the commanders and members to abide by the sexual Jihad Fatwa\". \"This Fatwa allows al-Qaeda’s women to have sexual intercourse with members of the organization to lift their morale,\" he said. \"The attempt to implement the Sexual Jihad Fatwa issued by clergymen that support the armed groups in Syria proves that such laws are transnational. This also points out that al-Qaeda’s course of action in Syria or in any other country is closely related to the events that are taking place in Iraq,\" he added. \"Al Qaeda’s Fatwas issued in the previous years by crooked clergymen have done harm to Islam,\" Khadran said. He further stressed the importance of \"standing up to these jurists and fighting extremist tendencies that blemish the humanitarian values of Islam\". The sexual Jihad Fatwa made its first appearance in Syria a few months ago and it allowed for armed members to have sexual intercourse with women for a determined period of time as per a momentary contract that loses effect after a few hours. This will allow other men to sign a similar contract and women to sleep with more than one man per day. The call has been followed with several cases of rapes and sexual assaults on women and girls in Syria who fall victim to extremist al-Qaeda militants. The insurgency in Syria which is going on with US strong support is showing vicious incidents of human rights violations, almost all ignored by the western and regional allies of Washington. The fact that al-Qaeda and other extremist groups are gaining more attention in Syria has mounted worries among Muslim clerics and prominent figures who are concerned by the impressions left on the image of Islam world by the unacceptable acts of extremism done in the name of Islam.