Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Saudi king issues decree against scholars ordering absurd edicts
Council of Senior Religious Scholars asked to investigate 'strange or obsolete' fatwas
- By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 August 17, 2010
- Image Credit: Gulf News
Riyadh: The emergence of new muftis (scholars who issue religious edicts) who issue controversial religious rulings has led to a royal decree limiting the issuance of fatwas to only members of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars.
The decree issued by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz empowers the Council to investigate fatwas and implement a total ban on "any topic involving strange or obsolete views".
Among some of the absurd fatwas issued recently, Shaikh Mohammad Al Munjed, a Syrian scholar living in Saudi Arabia, said that Mickey Mouse should be killed because he is a mouse and mice are considered unclean in Islam.
The fatwa led to negative attention from all major international media outlets. Under pressure, Shaikh Al Munjed retracted his fatwa.
In another fatwa, Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan, consultant in the Royal Court, said Saudi women could breastfeed their drivers so that they would be considered brethren by Rida'a or nursing.
Speaking to Gulf News, a Saudi scholar applauded the royal decree and hoped it would put an end to the chaos over the issuance of strange religious edicts.
Saudi female social and religious researcher Bunya Al Milhim warned that strange fatwas were exploited by people with a political agenda.
"They even threatened the position of Saudi Arabia as an Islamic leader of the world," she said.
The Saudi Minister of Religious Affairs Shaikh Saleh Al Ahaikh said Saudi scholars must obtain special permission from the Grand Mufti before they appear on Saudi and foreign TV programmes and issue fatwas. "This will help unify Islamic rulings on various issues," he added.
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