A Rash of Wacky Fatwas
Charles Johnson
Mon Dec 13, 2004 at 1:48 pm PST • Views: 234
Egyptian neighborhood sheikhs are handing out goofy fatwas right and left: A flood of fatwas inundates Egypt.
Today, however, sheikhs and scholars are issuing strange fatwas almost daily in mosques, in newspapers, on radio and on television. One recent fatwa forbade the practice of yoga on the grounds that it is an ascetic Hindu practice. Another declared that Muslims should not use the internet because it makes them waste their time. Most recently, a fatwa announced that ironing women’s pants was forbidden as women are not allowed to wear pants in Islam.
This kind of fatwa has proliferated due to the lack of credible muftis (fatwa issuers). While official muftis require official qualifications, as well as a number of years served at Al Azhar and membership in Dar Al Iftaa, these criteria do not apply to unofficial muftis.
“In Islam you can be a mufti if you are an adult, sound in mind, reliable, pious, intelligent, free of the causes of sin and correct in behavior,” said Sheikh Maamoun Al Tawil of Al Huda mosque. “You must also have a great knowledge of the Koran and the Sunna.”
According to Tawil, this vague set of prerequisites is the core of the problem.
Gee. Ya think?
Frank says: