'Irresponsible fatwas encourage extremists’

Dr Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, denounces the practice of Muslims issuing fatwas without understanding Islamic law.

Muslims issuing fatwas without understanding Islamic law are contributing to extremism and atrocities such as the 7/7 attacks on London, a senior Muslim scholar has said.

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“We have to be clear about what is at stake here. When each and every person’s unqualified opinion is considered a fatwa, we lose a tool that is of the utmost importance to rein in extremism and preserve the flexibility and balance of Islamic law,” The Times quoted Dr Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, as saying at a conference at Lancaster House, in London.

Dr Gomaa further insisted that the pace of change in the past 200 years had made it essential for Muslim jurists and muftis to examine how everything worked.

Islamic law’s flexibility and adaptability was its greatest asset and that Muslims must answer the challenge of holding fast to an authentic, moderate and tolerant Islam, he said.