Egypt to Launch Global Fatwa Index

The 4^th international conference on Fatwa Renewal was held by Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta through the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide last week. At the conference, Egypt’s Grand Mufti and President of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide Dr. Shawki Allam announced a list of proposals in his closing statement; most notable of them being issuing the first international Fatwa Charter.

So what exactly does this mean for the Islamic world? In a time that is what seems light-years away from when religion was introduced, making fatwas that fit our new world are much needed. With this ‘Global Fatwa Index’, the status of fatwas in each geographical region will be documented and available for reference, making it useful in regulating fatwas i.e. corroborating correct ones and regulating unsubstantiated fatwas.

At the conference, Allam urged countries around the world to “unite to confront terrorism” by “renewing and correcting concepts produced by religious institutions.” The reasoning behind this is that by updating fatwas to better fit the society we live in today and identifying a clear definition of ‘modernization’ can help aid the fight against extremism.

Allam’s proposal of a Global Fatwa Index encourages clerics to employ a scholarly methodology for analyzing and evaluating fatwas worldwide in hopes of responding to extremism and improving the fatwa issuing discourse worldwide.

Photo: Qantara