It is likely that most Westerners first encoutered the Arabic term fatwa in February, 1989, when Ayatollah Khomeini sentenced Salman Rushdie to death for the crime of writing fiction. It's no wonder, therefore, that the word has sounded sinister to Western ears ever since.
It shouldn't, though. A fatwa is simply a ruling on Islamic law issued by a Mufti, or Islamic legal scholar. There have been a number of fataawa issued on the subject of terrorism since Sept. 11 (and before), but none, perhaps, as important as the one issued by the Fiqh Council of North America on Friday (click here to read a .pdf of the fatwa and the list of 168 US Muslim organizations that have added their support to the decree).
At first, the Fiqh Council's fatwa mirrors those issued by other Muftis by speaking out against the perpetrators of terror:
Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram — or forbidden — and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not "martyrs."
What makes the Council's decree unique is what follows:
In the light of the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.
3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.
In points two and three, the emphasis is shifted from the terrorists—who would likely ignore the fatwa anyway—to the Muslim community as a whole. Not only is terrorism forbidden (duh!), but so is suppoting it, tacitly or otherwise. By including the general population in this fatwa, the Muftis of the Fiqh Council prove that their proclamations are meant to be so much more than empty pieties. The number of American Muslim organizations that have signed on to the Council's decree suggests that it represents the mainstream of Islamic thought in this country.
The Fiqh Council's words also provide an emphatic answer to the question issuing from places like FOXNews and the Rush Limbaugh Show: Where's the Muslim outrage and condemnation? Well, here it is, in plain language for all the world to see. Here's hoping the world listens.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
this is excellent, important, encouraging news - thanks Pete!
2 - Mihos
I watched a story on this on CNN. I was up editing until eight AM from the night before and I was barely lucid when I shot off an indignant email to CNN about the anchor's attitude. I havent gotten around to answering it. But I really want to in a productive and objective manner.
Costello, Carol <
Dear Mihos,
I appreciate any criticism of my work. I'm always intrigued by comments about my "smarts." Is it somehow connected to my "middle-aged," "attractive" appearance?
Is it because you disagreed with the way I conducted my interview? My general lack of knowledge? What?
I appreciate your later comments...they matter. It is not my job, however to simply allow the people I interview to say what they want. It is my job to challenge. And, if you don't think many Americans are rather skeptical about this..you're living in another country.
Carol Costello
-----Original Message-----
From: piamoun@gmail.com [mailto:piamoun@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2005 6:57 AM
To: Daybreak
Subject: CNN Daybreak
Name: Mihos
City: townshend
State: Vermont
Zip: 05353
Country: United States
Phone:
Coming from: TV
Subject:
View: Negative
Webaddress:
Comments:
im watching Daybreak on friday morning July 29 3005.
I was suprised at the presuppositional bias the anchor whose name escapes me ( she's generally very thorough, middle aged, attractive but not the brightest bulb on the tree) bias displayed to the Moslem group.
I am underwhelmed by the public service announcement and detest seeing young Moslem women hiding under scarves.
But all the same this is a choice. I fully support their choice to make a fatwa against
these extremists. The anchor's attitude was unambiguous.
Carol Costello is her name.
She was not only subjective in her dismissal. Her attitude also smacked of the sort of calluous disregard and arrogance Moslems complain the Israeli influenced American media have for Moslems in general. Now Im aware that Carol is probably Jewish and I shouldnt be thinking about her religious origins.
But the way she brushed them off and sort of threw their good intentions back at them like unwanted dirty bath water, she goes to joking about dumbbells and what have you- clueless of the cultural insensitivy she just showed for the guests who have risked alot to come out of the linen closet and announced fatwa against extremists. She doesnt care about their cause and doesnt believe them. What is more she clearly doesnt trust them but hey who cares? She is more interested in discussng dumbbells with a nerdy guy she can ride roughshod over..
just a perspective but please take note that the world wants to evolve consciously if only America would wake the fuck up and at leat pretend it comprehends empathy
to me
More options Jul 29 (3 days ago)
3 - Victor Plenty
This ruling is a step in the right direction, no matter how skeptical some may be of its sincerity.
We need to support every step the Muslim communities take in this direction. Some steps may be superficial, but every step in the right direction is important enough to deserve our support.
Much like the U.S. Supreme Court rulings of the 1950s and '60, which ended legal support for racial segregation without instantly ending the entrenched racism in American culture, these small steps lead toward a future of hope.
4 - Dave Nalle
Does anyone know who this Fiqh Council represents and whether anyone in the moslem world takes them at all seriously?
BTW, Mihos - Carol Costello isn't a very jewish name, And when you start letting your anti-semitic generalizations color your email to CNN you immediately make it unlikely that they'll take you seriously.
Dave
5 - Victor Plenty
They've received support for this fatwa from a number of Muslim groups and communities, including a statement of support from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
6 - Samir Hindi
Similar legal verdicts have been given by leading clerics in the UK, Egypt, Pakistan, and elsewhere.
An example of this is:
Islam Condemns All Terrorism
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/QA00005469.aspx
7 - Pete Blackwell
Agreed. Costello is either Irish or Italian. Definitely not Jewish.
The Fiqh council is the main Sunni Islamic legal body in the US and Canada. There are 18 members. Technically, a fatwa only carries the weight of law for the followers of the Mufti who issues it. That said, they can still influence the thinking of others beyond the target audience (for example, the Rushdie fatwa carried a lot of weight beyond Kohmeini's followers).
The number of American Muslim groups signing on the this fatwa is an indication of the group's influence (i.e., they seem to be a widely respected, mainstream group).
This particular fatwa is special because it focuses more on regular Muslims and less on the terrorists who wouldn't listen anyway. A very encouraging step.
8 - Mihos
Anti Semetic!
Why is any mention of anything remotely resembling a valid critizm of someone with a Jewish maiden name branded Anti Semetic?
Im hardly anti Semitic since I am a Semite myself. Geez. Lighten up.
Moreover, surrounding myself with other Semites I know a typical American Jewish reaction to a typical American Arab when I see it. I also know the opposite prejudice. We will never get to dialogue if we keep tiptoeing around the
issues.
She wasn't hired for her opinion. She is supposed to report the news.
I thought that the fatwah was a wonderful effort even if the commercial was underwhelming.
The attitude of the person recording this historical moment was really transparent and rude.
Thanks for the input. Ill have to finish my letter now.
9 - Steve
Anti-semitism is by definition anti-Jewish. The term wasn't invented by Jews. It was invented by German scholars in the 19th century who gave Hitler many of his ideas.
10 - Dave Nalle
Technically Arabs are semites too, so anti-semitism could include them as well. But not in the normally accepted usage.
Dave
11 - Pete Blackwell
Mihos,
Your letter can easily be seen as anti-Semetic for two reasons: First, you describe the "Israeli influenced American media" which throws up a red flag for sure. Then you say, "Now, Im aware that Carol is probably Jewish and I shouldnt be thinking about her religious origins." That's a nice throwaway line. If you shouldn't be thinking about religious origins, then why make any mention of it, unless it is an effort to have your prejudicial cake and eat it, too, so to speak.
When you assumed that Costello was a Jewish name, it made me think instantly of an article in the Saudi English-Language newspaper the Arab News which refered to Rudy Guiliani as the "Jewish, homosexual mayor of New York." Perhaps they were thinking about Ed Koch? Actually, it appears they weren't doing much thinking at all.
Before assuming that the anchorwoman was bad because she might be a Jew, you might just want to assume it was the case because CNN is a pile of shit.
12 - Nancy
Just to mess things up further in the matter of "jewish" names, you all DO know that while "Cohen, Cohan" & variants are jewish, there is an identical "Cohan, Cohen" & variants that are irish?
Back to the main point. While it is mildly encouraging that an American group has FINALLY gotten around to issuing a fatwah against terrorism, it's still open to debate about how seriously Muslims elsewhere will take it, if at all. It's only to be expected that muslims living in the US would do this, if only for self-preservation, which is how I read it. I don't consider it to be issued for any other reason, because frankly, IMO it's too little, too late, and I personally don't take it seriously because I consider this is something they should have issued several years ago, instead of sitting on their thumbs until the pressure for them to denounce or end up being even more suspect than they already are became too great. Silence & inaction sometimes speaks a lot louder than words, and muslims around the world are unfortunately condemned by their own near-universal silence & inaction regarding terrorism.
13 - Pete Blackwell
Maybe too late, as you say, but too little? This fatwa is about as universal a condemnation as you can get. What more do you want?
Plenty of Muslims in America and around the world have spoken out against terrorism after 9/11. This is not the first fatwa against it. It just hasn't been widely reported. Here is a page with links to various reactions from Muslim groups. Stuff like this just doesn't fit into the FOXNews worldview, so it gets swept under the rug.
14 - Victor Lana
I don't think anyone in his or her right mind believes that ordinary Muslims like terrorism (in the USA or anywhere in the world). Let us remember, Muslims are the main victims of recent terrorism in Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan.
This "fatwa" is a proclamation by clerics, and it is necessary and compelling in and of itself. It is a message that has been said before in other places, but the way it is said has been said is crucial to its effectiveness.
The terrorists are what they are: murderers, and religion is just a convenient crutch. Just like the Ku Klux Klansman who proclaims himself Christian, he is just a common terrorist. Nothing more. He's not going to see 72 virgins after he's dead anymore than the suicide bomber in Iraq.
We have to look at this "fatwa" as an affirmation of law and civilization, for that the clerics deserve great praise.
15 - Nancy
Why should anyone be 'praised' for doing something that common decency demands they do to begin with?
16 - Pete Blackwell
Because so few people do what common decency demands of them nowadays.