Internet Fatwas Worry Traditional Islamic Establishment

Like many people adapting to new technology, the Islamic clerics who typically issue fatwas are having trouble adapting to the Internet. Perhaps adapting is the wrong word. The problem is not with the technology itself but rather with younger non-traditional Muslims using the Internet to issue fatwas without the approval of the existing religious establishment.

In Islam, a fatwa is a ruling to clarify Islamic law or the sharia. In a few Muslim countries such as Egypt or Turkey, there is an official government position to clarify these rulings. In countries where Islamic law forms the basis of civil law, the mufti who are scholars of Islamic law will debate the rulings before issuing a fatwa.

While traditional rules established who and who is not capable of issuing a fatwa, the rise of the Internet in developing countries has further complicated the issue. Many Muslims - particularly young Muslims - with websites of their own are starting to issue unofficial declarations as fatwas.

While the Pope may be the recognized leader of most Christians in the world - whether or not the Protestants agree - there is no singular authority in Islam. While the Roman Catholic church controlled most of Europe from about the 4^th century up until the Protestant reformation, Muslims split up into different sects shortly after the death of their founding prophet. As such, fatwas issued by one recognized authority are not binding.

In countries such as Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco where someone in the government holds the official responsibility for issuing these pronouncements, the religious establishment worries that their authority might be undermined by a number of unofficial muftis issuing rulings on the sharia when they may not be officially recognized as muftis.

Several Internet sites such as fatwa-online.com and Ask-Imam.com are run by legitimate muftis, however and supporters point out that the increasing diversity of information available on the Internet may be necessary for updating outdated bits of Islamic theology. While critics may be concerned about losing control there is also another concern with such online sites. Anyone can claim to be a mullah or a mufti on the Internet without presenting official credentials of any sort.

It is not the first time a new form of media has caused concern for traditional groups. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg caused the traditional preachers who relied on oral traditions to lose their sway over the masses of the time as the printed word became more readily available.

At the same time, it becomes necessary for those who follow this particular faith to be wary of self-proclaimed fatwas which have increased in number since satellite television and Internet connections have spread into more areas.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwa

"New Media" Fatwas Rankle Traditoinal Islamic Establishment. Sebastion Abbot. The Daily Item. Sunday, August 12, 2007.