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The Bangla (Bengali) writing on top says: Murtad'der faashi cchai(we demand the hanging of the Muslim apostates);
the writing on the body says: fatwa'baaz (indiscriminate
issuer of religious edicts).
Doodle (Dhaka: July 20, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa
When this doodle was drawn, tensions were going on between two groups of people in Bangladesh -- liberal politicians and intellectuals in one side, and Islamic fundamentalist politicians and religious leaders on the other. The second group was issuing fatwas indiscriminately (Islamic religious edicts) on different issues, actions and certain persons. Present events and news prove that the tension is still strong.
Bangladesh Attempt on Prohibition of Fatwas Condemned
Mufti Fazlul Huq Amini, the Chairman of Islami Oikkya Jote, warned that "the country will be on fire" if fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) is banned in Bangladesh, reports the Bangla Kagoj weekly of March 1, 2011 of Toronto.
In a recent seminar on "Fatwa: The Present Perspective," organized by Islami Ain Bastobayon Committee (commitee for Islamic laws), Mufti Amini said, no court has the right to give verdict on the Qur'an and Hadis. No verdict can be given on the rules and laws provided by the Qur'an and Hadis. To do anything against fatwa is doing it against Allah (God). If the fatwa is prohibited, hundreds of thousands of alims (or ulemas or Muslim scholars) will protest in the streets.
Mufti Amini criticized Bangladesh's Chief Justice, Education Minister, Finance Minister, Law Minister, Member of the Parliament Rashed Khan Menon, and Professor Kabir Chowdhury of the University of Dhaka and said that these persons were all self-declared atheists.
He further said, the present Education Minister's new education policy is an obnoxious anti-Islamic policy. It this policy is realized, Islam will vanish from Bangladesh. [Muslim] students will also become murtads (religious apostates).
He also said, fatwa was there in the past, fatwa is there now, and it will be there in future.
The amir of Dhaka city, Maulana Abul Kashem, presided over the seminar. Other speakers were the Secretary of Oikkya Jote Maulana Adbul Latif Nezami, Professor Maulana Abdul Karim, Maulana Fazlul Karim Kashemi, Mufti Abul Kashem, Mufti Mojibur Rahman and others.
What is Fatwa? Who Can Issue Fatwa?
Fatwa is an Islamic religious ruling or legal opinion given by a knowledgeable and recognized mufti (Muslim scholar who interpretes the shari'a or Islamic law). Muslims are not bound to follow it. The criteria of the Quranic fatwa are not as easy as they seem to be. How many qualified and recognized muftis are there in Bangladesh, especially in village situation, to issue fatwa legally?
Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, especially in villages where most of the people are illiterate and semi-literate, fatwa is taken as a binding on people. The fatwa issuers also takes advantage of this mind-set. Although, many of them, not suitably equipped to issue fatwa, do so indiscriminately on any matter or person. In most cases, fatwas are used as a weapon to take revenge on or to punish someone for self-serving reasons. Many of the local religious persons who issue fatwas, do so under pressure from influential persons or for their self-serving reasons. Issuance of fatwa indiscrimately is forbidden in Islam.
The State of Fatwa in Bangladesh
The following headlines give a picture of the situation of fatwa in Bangladesh, where it is being used mostly against women.
Bangladesh Attempt on Prohibition of Fatwas Condemned
Mufti Fazlul Huq Amini, the Chairman of Islami Oikkya Jote, warned that "the country will be on fire" if fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) is banned in Bangladesh, reports the Bangla Kagoj weekly of March 1, 2011 of Toronto.
In a recent seminar on "Fatwa: The Present Perspective," organized by Islami Ain Bastobayon Committee (commitee for Islamic laws), Mufti Amini said, no court has the right to give verdict on the Qur'an and Hadis. No verdict can be given on the rules and laws provided by the Qur'an and Hadis. To do anything against fatwa is doing it against Allah (God). If the fatwa is prohibited, hundreds of thousands of alims (or ulemas or Muslim scholars) will protest in the streets.
Mufti Amini criticized Bangladesh's Chief Justice, Education Minister, Finance Minister, Law Minister, Member of the Parliament Rashed Khan Menon, and Professor Kabir Chowdhury of the University of Dhaka and said that these persons were all self-declared atheists.
He further said, the present Education Minister's new education policy is an obnoxious anti-Islamic policy. It this policy is realized, Islam will vanish from Bangladesh. [Muslim] students will also become murtads (religious apostates).
He also said, fatwa was there in the past, fatwa is there now, and it will be there in future.
The amir of Dhaka city, Maulana Abul Kashem, presided over the seminar. Other speakers were the Secretary of Oikkya Jote Maulana Adbul Latif Nezami, Professor Maulana Abdul Karim, Maulana Fazlul Karim Kashemi, Mufti Abul Kashem, Mufti Mojibur Rahman and others.
What is Fatwa? Who Can Issue Fatwa?
Fatwa is an Islamic religious ruling or legal opinion given by a knowledgeable and recognized mufti (Muslim scholar who interpretes the shari'a or Islamic law). Muslims are not bound to follow it. The criteria of the Quranic fatwa are not as easy as they seem to be. How many qualified and recognized muftis are there in Bangladesh, especially in village situation, to issue fatwa legally?
Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, especially in villages where most of the people are illiterate and semi-literate, fatwa is taken as a binding on people. The fatwa issuers also takes advantage of this mind-set. Although, many of them, not suitably equipped to issue fatwa, do so indiscriminately on any matter or person. In most cases, fatwas are used as a weapon to take revenge on or to punish someone for self-serving reasons. Many of the local religious persons who issue fatwas, do so under pressure from influential persons or for their self-serving reasons. Issuance of fatwa indiscrimately is forbidden in Islam.
The State of Fatwa in Bangladesh
The following headlines give a picture of the situation of fatwa in Bangladesh, where it is being used mostly against women.
- Fatwa and the helpless women in Bangladesh (The New Nation: Dec. 18, 2002)
- Fatwa leads to 303 whips (The Daily Star: June 29, 2009)
- Take Measures Against Fatwa (The Daily Star: Dec. 7, 2009)
- Bangladesh: Stop Parallel Justice System Issuing Religious Edicts to Punish Women (South Asia Citizens Web: Dec. 9, 2009)
- Crime in the Name of Belief (The Star Weekend Magazine: Feb. 26, 2010)
- Fatwa illegal (High Court rules against all extra-judicial punishments upon writ petitions) (The Daily Star: July 9, 2010)
- Bangladesh family tells of grief over girl whipped to death (The Guardian: Feb. 4, 2011)
- 503 women publicly flogged in Bangladesh (Indo-Asian News Service: Feb. 14, 2011)
- Bangladesh: Fatwa Killing Sparks High Court Inquiry, Directives (Law Library of Congress, USA: Feb. 17, 2011)
- The fatwa scourge (The Daily Star: Feb. 18, 2011)
- Fatwa in practice for personal gain: Dr. Kamal Hussain (The Daily Star: March 2, 2011)
- Govt. asked to explain failure to stop fatwa (The Daily Star: March 3, 2011)
- Supreme Court hearing on fatwa adjourned (The Daily Star: March 4, 2011)
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