By Safaa Abdoun
CAIRO: So far this year, Dar Al-Ifta has issued 465,000 fatwas — or religious edicts — either verbally or written, via telephone or email, according to a recent Dar Al-Ifta report.
Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta, the official authority for issuing fatwas, released its annual report outlining the past year’s work and achievements, as well as the changes made to further develop the historical religious body.
The majority of the fatwas dealt with issues that are heavily debated, many of which are controversial. These include topics such as genealogy and the development of a fertilized egg in the womb of a wife after the death of her husband; the inheritance provided to someone who has converted to the Baha’i religious sect; mortgage and real estate issues; removing the heart valve tissue from a pig; determining the sex of a fetus; suicide bombing; and drugs.
Furthermore, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Dar Al-Ifta has approved 137 death sentences — after being thoroughly studied and reviewed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa — throughout the year. The sentences were handed down for a range of crimes, primarily involving murder, rape, and drug dealing.
In regards to the preservation of Islam’s image and inter-faith dialogue participation at the local, regional and international levels, Dar Al-Ifta has been very active. The religious body has participated in more than 100 conferences and meetings in different countries around the world, discussing a wide variety of religious and faith-related topics from the Islamic perspective.
At the international level, Dar Al-Ifta’s efforts were directed in showing the world the true image of Islam. There were meetings with leading figures in religion, culture and academia. In this arena, Sheikh Gomaa has met with delegations from various countries throughout the world, including Thailand, France, Senegal, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Singapore. He also participated in conferences like the New Age of Islamic-American Relations at Yale University, as well as others in New York City, Chicago, Zurich and Japan.
Dar Al-Ifta also signed a protocol agreement with the Ministry of State for Family and Population Affairs in order to study various contemporary issues in Egyptian society from an Islamic point of view. The aim of the protocol aims is to provide a religious perspective on social issues that can later be integrated into social development programs planned for children and families.
Furthermore, the Islamic authority released 25 bound publications this year, including “Fasting Rules,” which was released during the Holy Month of Ramadan, and “Umrah and Hajj,” which was released during the grand pilgrimage.
Among Dar Al-Ifta’s achievements in 2010 were the various awards its Grand Mufti, Shiekh Ali Gomaa, has received, including the ISO award.
Dar Al-Ifta has also been working to provide more services internally. A new department within the Islamic authority was set up to answer all inquires made by individuals, corporations and foundations regarding financial services. There were also new divisions formed, such as Services Support, Programs Development, and Distance Learning.
The annual report also outlined Dar Al-Ifta’s future plans, which will entail continuing to work and cooperate with organizations and authorities in the Arab and Islamic world so that a unified vision may be established to set a criterion for issuing fatwas. The authority also plans to publish more books, especially those related to Islamic jurisprudence.
