Saudi Arabia's Anti-protest Fatwa Is Transparent
THE GUARDIAN: The fatwa's meaning is clear: reform measures may proceed, but will be dictated from the royal and clerical heights of power

The official Saudi religious scholars' fatwa banning mass demonstrations, issued on 6 March, is a lengthy but, for the Muslim reader, a transparent document. It embodies the balancing act that has become necessary for the royal family to maintain its authority. Saudi subjects desire social reform profoundly, and most of them trust King Abdullah to lead them on the path of change. The Saudi monarchy and the religious authorities with which it is allied must channel such demands through existing "Islamic" means of redress, generally consigned to the heading of "consultation".

But the sixth paragraph cites a hadith, or oral comment, of the prophet Muhammad that includes a severe threat against internal dissent: "The Prophet again said: 'He who wanted separate affairs of this nation who are unified, you should kill him with [the] sword whoever he is' (narrated by Muslim)." "Muslim" was Muslim Ibn Al-Hajjaj, an early collector of hadith, recognised by Sunnis as authoritative.

The Council of Senior Scholars praises itself for loyalty to Islam and its own "wise leadership", then calls on the Saudi people to "increase cohesion" and "strengthen intimacy" in the country. It "affirms the necessity of mutual advice, understanding and co-operation in righteousness and piety, and in prohibition of evil and hostility".

It also claims a secular legitimacy for the state of Saudi Arabia: the identity of the kingdom, its "progress and prosperity", have been "obtained … with legal secular means". This cannot appear as anything but dissonant considering that the Saudi state has no official secular institutions, and that it asserts (in the same fatwa) that its governance is founded exclusively on the Qur'an and mainstream Islamic tradition. Continue reading and comment » | Irfan al-Alawi | Friday, April 01, 2011

Saudi Cleric Slammed Over Fatwa On Women Cashiers
THE TRIPOLI POST: A conservative Saudi cleric was told to stop giving unauthorized edicts after he called for a boycott of a supermarket chain that employs women as cashiers, the office of the kingdom's most senior religious leader said Thursday.

The move is the first public reprimand of a prominent cleric following a royal decree that limits the issuance of fatwas to the country's most senior group of clerics. Fatwas are religious edicts that provide guidance in matters of everyday life to pious Muslims.

Sheik Youssef al-Ahmed had urged people not to shop at Panda Supermarket because women there work in jobs that allow for the mingling of the sexes, which the cleric said was a violation of Islamic law.

Saudi media reported that al-Ahmed's fatwa forced the supermarket management to reassign 11 of its women employees to other positions on Wednesday. The chain could not be reached for comment.

Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al Sheik's office said Thursday he had summoned al-Ahmed and ordered the cleric to refrain from issuing unauthorized fatwas.

The office said it "received a pledge from al-Ahmed not to issue any fatwas" without approval. >>> | Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Fatwa a Day Keeps Hell at Bay
THE TELEGRAPH: The world's first Islamic helpline has opened in Abu Dhabi, to help Muslims solve their religious dilemmas.

A team of 48 muftis man the telephones from 8am until 8pm delivering fatwas, or formal rulings based on Islamic law.

The service is used by Muslims all over the world, and organisers say it takes about 3,700 calls a day, including queries from Britain.

Mufti Abdulrahman Ammoura, 48, is more accustomed to dispensing advice at a mosque, but he joined the helpline staff to reach a wider audience.

He said: "The hardest questions I am asked involve sex. I feel shame, but I have to answer the questions because it is my duty."

One recent dilemma came from a married woman whose alcoholic husband had turned violent, hitting her and forcing her to have sex. She wanted to know if she should seek a divorce.

Mr Ammoura told the Times: "I said, 'No - it is better for him to find help'. A woman living alone with children could face too many problems."

His advice now counts as an official fatwa in the United Arab Emirates, under new rules issued by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments.

The UAE Government established the call centre three months ago in an attempt to root out extreme interpretations of Islam.

All fatwas issued through the call centre comply with the Government's moderate religious stance. Any others are considered invalid instructions. World's First Islamic Helpline Dispenses Fatwas to Troubled Muslims >>> By Lucy Cockcroft | October 10, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) / Free delivery >>>

Fatwas Galore! Now Mickey Mouse Faces Death!
You couldn't make this stuff up! One would have to have a screw loose to say such things! - ©Mark

DAILY EXPRESS: Mickey Mouse is a soldier of satan and must die, says a Muslim cleric.

Tom and Jerry have also incurred the wrath of Sheikh Muhammad Munajid who fears they are corrupting Islamic youth.

The Saudi Arabian cleric also recently denounced the Beijing Games as the “bikini Olympics” because of the female athletes’ skimpy costumes which, he said, made Satan happy.

His fatwa – an Islamic ruling which can carry a death sentence – against the cartoon characters was made in a religious affairs programme on an Arab television network.

Asked about Islam’s teaching on mice, Mr Munajid, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington, said that both household mice – and their cartoon counterparts – have to be killed. Mickey Mouse Facing Fatwa >>> | September 16, 2008

YNETNEWS:
A Fatwa against Mickey Mouse: Saudi sheikh slams Disney icon as 'a soldier of Satan,' says 'impure corrupter' must be killed according to Islamic law >>> YNET | September 16, 2008

FOX NEWS:
Report: Saudi Cleric Says Mickey Mouse 'Must Die': He may have survived the battle with the brooms in “Fantasia,” but now Mickey Mouse has to contend with Islam.

Calling the loveable Disney rodent “one of Satan’s soldiers,” Sheikh Muhammad Munajid said household mice and their animated counterparts must be rubbed out, the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases." >>> | September 16, 2008

ISRAEL TODAY:
Muslims: We Must Kill Mickey Mouse >>> | September 16, 2008

STRAITS TIMES:
Death for TV ‘Sorcerers’: RIYADH - A SENIOR Saudi cleric has said purveyors of horoscopes on Arab television should face the death penalty, a paper said on Sunday, days after another cleric urged the same fate for channel owners who broadcast 'indecent' shows.

'Sorcerers who appear on satellite channels who are proven to be sorcerers have committed a great crime ... and the Muslim consensus is that the apostate's punishment is death by the sword,' Sheikh Saleh al-Fozan told al-Madina daily.

'Those who call in to these shows should not be accorded Muslim rites when they die,' the prominent cleric added.

Many of the hundreds of Arab satellite channels that have sprung up in recent years specialise in horoscopes and other advice to callers on solving problems that is seen by some religious authorities as 'sorcery'. >>> | September 15, 2008

NINEMSN:
Mickey Mouse: He’s the Agent of Satan, Didn’t You Know? >>> By ninemsn staff | September 16, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>

Of Fatwas and Infidels
ARAB VIEW: The Shoura Council last week defeated a proposal to adopt a law promoting respect for other religions and religious symbols. The proposal that would have had the blessings of the Arab League was opposed by 77 members and supported by 33.

In his reason for voting against the proposal, one member told Al-Watan newspaper that the negative effects might outweigh the positive ones as it would give legality to nonmonotheistic religions and consequently it would allow the building of houses of worship for those religions in Muslim countries.

The proposal was surely influenced by the Danish cartoon crisis that recently resurfaced. If we look at the consequences of approving such a proposal, we will see that it would have been an important step forward. It simply proposes respect for other religions and tolerance for those who practice them. The proposal suggests simply that people in the world need to learn to live together and to accept each other for what they are and that people must also remember that respect and tolerance work both ways. Of Fatwas and Infidels >>> By Abeer Mishkhas

Also by Abeer Mishkhas:
How Could Such Things Happen in Saudi Arabia?

And:
Commission [The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice] Waging a Battle for Territory

Mark Alexander

Top Muslim Scholar in Egypt Defends Himself Against Criticism of His Fatwas
Photo of the Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Egypt's top Muslim scholar has defended himself against criticism for a series of controversial fatwas he has issued.

With tears in his eyes, Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa told reporters his religious edicts were never influenced by pressure from the authorities.

Fierce criticism followed his recent ruling that speeding drivers cannot be condemned for killing people who deliberately stand in their way.

It became public days after just such a case involving a police car.

The mufti also offended many by saying that 26 Egyptian illegal migrants who drowned trying to reach Europe were the victims of their own greed rather than martyrs.

Sheikh Gomaa represents the Dar al-Ifta which is the official interpreter of Islamic law in Egypt based on the Koran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Egypt's mufti rejects criticism (more)

Mark Alexander

Saudi Arabia Launches Official Website for Islamic Legal Rulings, or Fatwas
BBC: Saudi Arabia has launched an official website to publish Islamic legal rulings, or fatwas.

The move is apparently an attempt to ensure that fatwas issued by authorised scholars are given prominence.

Visitors to the new website will be able to ask questions on various topics and get replies from the Council of Senior Ulema (Islamic scholars).

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy governed according to a conservative interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

'Fatwa chaos'

A section of the Saudi site is devoted to the former head of the council, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz.

Sheikh bin Baz, who died in 1999, was known for issuing controversial religious rulings.

In 1991, he issued a fatwa prohibiting women from driving cars.

The religious establishment in Egypt has been considering a similar move to publicise official fatwas.

Last month, the head of Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar University, Ahmed al-Tayeb, said he wanted to establish a satellite TV station dedicated to broadcasting authorised rulings.

The situation at present, he said, was fatwa chaos, with Muslim scholars issuing rulings that clash with the official line of the religious establishment, spreading confusion. [Source: Official Saudi website for fatwas]

Mark Alexander