According to a story by Brian Montopoli of CBS News, it would seem that America has little to fear from the brutality of Islamic Sharia law; no, the danger is posed by conservative constitutionalists who are concerned by the efforts of Muslims to impose their religion on the 99 percent of Americans who do not share their religion. Montopoli begins his scree with the declaration:The rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in America has brought with it a wave of largely-unsubstantiated suggestions from conservative media commentators and politicians that America is at risk of falling under the sway of Sharia Law.
Sharron Angle has now addressed the national flap over her suggestion that Sharia law might be a threat in certain American cities, and while she seemed to try to disavow the claim, I'm not sure her clarification will clarify all that much.Sharron Angle on Sharia law in America: "That's what I had read"
Angle was asked about her comments during an exchange in the safe confines of conservative radio host Lars Larson's show. She has been attacked by the Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, one of the cities she discussed during her earlier discourse on Sharia law, and Larson served up Angle a great big meatball, giving her a chance to distance herself from the mess.You tell me if she took the bait:LARSON: Hey Sharron, let me ask you about something that it sounds like the City of Dearborn Michigan is going after you because of some things you've said about Sharia law. Why don't you tell people what you really said and tell me what your response is to the Mayor of Dearborn.
ANGLE: Well, what I had been hearing was that there would be quite a ruckus there because of what's going on in Michigan in response to Sharia law and people that think that Sharia law should be in place here in the United States. So of course I didn't intend to offend anyone with my remarks. It's just that people are quite nervous about the idea of having anything but a Constitutional republic here in the United States.
LARSON: Now did you say though that Sharia law was in place in Dearborn right now?
ANGLE: I had read that in one place, that they have started using some Sharia law there. That's what I had read.
Oklahoma's Preemptive Strike Against Sharia Law
Will anti-Sharia law initiatives be in future election cycles what anti-gay marriage initiatives were before? That is, a cultural wedge issue the GOP uses to ensure that hard-core conservatives enthusiastically flock to the polls?
Drive-through Fatwas
(Filed by: Storm Bear July 20, 2007)
I was driving a bunch this last week and was listening to world news podcasts on my iPod instead of hate radio. One story was about Dar Al-Iftaa and their fatwa issuing machine.
Fatwas are in reality just religious rulings. Questions like "how much inheritance should I leave my brother?" and so forth are answered, but they are not only given in person, they are given via satellite television just like the 700 Club, plus there is also phone, email and even fatwas delivered via text message.The Muslim world is beginning to see fatwa issuance as getting out of control and they are moving to have an official governing body to oversee all of Islam's fatwa edicts. But not everyone is in love with Dar Al-Iftaa...
Sheikh Safwat Hegazi's recent fatwa that it is halal to kill Israeli civilians on Egyptian land is one such potentially disastrous ruling; and arguably neither Dar Al-Iftaa's ruling to the contrary nor Sheikh Safwat's own retraction will render it entirely harmless. While acknowledging Hegazi's line of thinking as a response to frustration with Israel's aggression and impunity, Nosseir argued that with the correct interpretation of Qur'an , the fatwa is invalid, citing Verse 6 from Surat Al-Momtahena, to make her point: "Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily Allah loves those who deal with equity."
To avoid such fatwas, Nosseir suggests drawing up a Dar Al-Iftaa committee of religious scholars from the various modern sciences as well as Sharia: "Different scientific spheres are now needed to substantiate a religious ruling." To meet on a monthly basis, such a committee would manage to cover a given topic from every conceivable angle, coming up with a solid statement: "So eventually we would be able to consolidate the value of the fatwa and make people more eager to follow it," she opined. "With all due respect to the early scholars of Islam, we need to look into our daily issues with a different eye, ijtihad [independent thought] in Islam is allowed till doom's day." Significantly, she appears to agree with El-Magdoub: "I think the people who should participate in such a committee should be volunteers, not commissioned and not paid, to ensure they are doing so out of their own free will. We strongly need such committee, but we lack the determination."Evidently, there exists in Islamic culture a need for fatwas that center around mindless killing. How they overcome this is anyone's guess.My money is on the use of a lot of bombs, guns and grenades.
The Fatwas Department is open seven days a week, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Request a fatwa
Fatwas and religious quiries may be sent via the following methods:
In Person | See the Imams face to face in the ICC. They are located in offices 2,10,11 and 12. |
Email | Send your query to fatwas@iccuk.org |
On-Line | Filling in an online form using your Web browser |
Fax | Faxing your query on 020 7724 0493 |
Phone | The imams may be reached directly on the phone. Their tel nos are listed on the contacts page |
| Address questions to: The Fatwa Committee The Islamic Cultural Centre & The London Central Mosque 146 Park Road London NW8 7RG |
