BBC: Egyptians Look to Islam for Answers
Charles Johnson
Tue May 9, 2006 at 3:47 pm PDT • Views: 177
The BBC helpfully informs its readers that Egyptians are looking to Islam for answers.
I’m not sure what the question was, but one answer they’re getting is that they must ban all statues.
A religious ruling condemning the display of statues has angered Egyptian liberals and intellectuals who fear it could encourage religious zealots to attack the country’s pharaonic heritage.
The ruling was issued by the Mufti, the most senior religious scholar in Egypt.
Islam has always been wary of representations of the human figure. Anything which could even remotely suggest idolatry is frowned upon. But sculpture in Egypt is as old as the pharaohs. There are thousands of statues in museums and temples, not to mention the modern works standing in major squares in the big cities.
The fatwa raised an outcry, with many critics saying they are surprised the issue has been raised at all. But these days Egyptians are increasingly seeking religious rulings on all aspects of life.
UPDATE at 5/9/06 3:48:49 pm:
And by the way, LGF beat the BBC to this story by more than a month: lgf: Egyptian Mufti Hates Sculpture.
Frank says: