Times of India / Feb 16, 2010 Muslim Fatwas on technology Indiatimes Infotech
The recent fatwa against Muslims using the world's no. 1 social networking site like Facebook was not the first of its kind. Internet and some other related technology tools like cellphones, TVs etc have been at the receiving end of such religious rulings in the past too. While a fatwa banned browsing among women another termed Internet trading sinful. In fact there are also some exclusive social networks that aims to protect and connect Muslims on the World Wide Web. Here's looking into some such fatwas issued against Internet and its related technologies. (A fatwa is a legal pronouncement in Islam, issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue) Terming the use of networking sites such as 'Facebook' as anti-Islamic, a top Egyptian cleric last week issued a fatwa against it saying Muslims using such cyber platforms must be considered "sinners". The cleric also blamed such sites for growing incidents of marital discords. Sunni scholar Sheikh Abdel Hamid al-Atras, former head of the fatwa commission at Al-Azhar University, issued the fatwa saying such sites have resulted in rise of the marital infidelity. "While one or other of the spouses is at work, the other is chatting online with someone else, wasting their time and flouting the Sharia. This endangers the Muslim family," said al-Atrash. The fatwa came after a study which claimed that one in every five cases of divorces in Egypt had been caused after one of the partners started using social networking sites such as Facebook. Last year in May, Muslim clerics debating the exploding popularity of Facebook in Indonesia said that followers can use the networking site to connect with friends or for work, but not to gossip or flirt. The non-binding ruling followed a two-day meeting of clerics in Indonesia. Around 700 clerics, or imams, agreed to draft up guidelines on surfing the Web after reportedly receiving complaints about Facebook and other networking sites. Concerns were raised that these sites encourage illicit sex. The conference ruled that "Facebook is haram (or forbidden) if it is used for gossiping and spreading lies." It also said that users should not ask overtly intimate questions or in anyway encourage "vulgar behavior." A Dutch company last year launched a new search engine that aims to protect Muslims from accidentally bumping into explicit material while surfing the Web. Called ImHalal.com, or "I am Halal," is the world's first Muslim search engine. Reza Sardeha, founder of AZS Media Group, which runs the search engine, said that the idea grew after his friends complained of bumping into sexually explicit content when using search engines such as Yahoo or Google. Reports said that the site's filter examines the user's search terms and the websites that are returned, trawling for a 'non-halal list' of words that may indicate forbidden fruit. On the site, sex-related terms such as 'gay,' 'lesbian' or simply 'sexy' merit a haram level of three; the highest score on the list. But 'beer' and 'pork' only merit a score of one, while 'drugs' comes up as a level two. There are, however, no restrictions on more general concepts that are forbidden in Islam such as 'suicide' or 'magic.' Muslim council in Malaysia issued a fatwa in 2008 banning people from using the Internet to trade shares or make investments. Malaysia's National Fatwa Council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin had then said that non-Muslim investment schemes accessed through the Internet pay interest and guarantee a steady profit, which is banned under Islamic or Sharia law. "We advise those making investments via the Internet to stop immediately," Abdul Shukor said. He added that there are many alternative investment schemes based on Islamic principles initiated by the government which Muslims can participate in. Two Saudi Sheiookh, Uthman AlKhamees and Saad Al Ghamdy, issued a fatwa against women using Internet. The fatwa made Internet haram for the woman because of “Evil Vileness of her Turned Page”. The Fatwa said that, “The woman is not allowed to open the Internet except in the presence of a mahram knowledgeable about the woman’s whoredom and wileyness” Last year, a panel of clerics from a Kanpur-based Madrasa Jamia Ashraf-ul-Madaris issued a fatwa over mobile phone etiquette. The panel objected to the use of Aayats (verses from the Holy Quran) as ringtones. The religious scholars argue that people who use Aayats as ring tones and answer their cell phone midway through the Aayat commit a sinful act. The panel of clerics in Kanpur also said that taking a cell phone to the toilet as it rings is a sin because Aayat cannot be heard in a toilet. They also condemned the habit that people have of keeping cellphones on vibration mode while attending prayer services. In late 2007, a radical Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh issued a fatwa against Muslims watching television, calling the device “haram (sinful)”. The fatwa was issued by the Dar-ul Uloom in Deoband, near Muzaffarnagar, in response to a madarsa teacher’s plea to clarify whether watching Islamic channels and televised debates on religious issues was right. The teacher, a resident of Saharanpur, had asked whether watching an Islamic TV channel showing a debate on religious topics was right or wrong. Dar-ul Uloom took the stand that in the due course of watching television, people inevitably browse through channels that show “immoral” and “vulgar” programmes. “The Prophet said… you should see from whom you are taking your religious lessons,” the fatwa stated. “Matters of religion should be learnt from authentic and pious people. Television is a tool of entertainment and enjoyment. It is most widely used for unlawful and prohibited things. If lawful matters are learnt from authentic people even then it is unlawful to listen to it through the TV, since it includes more or less haram things. And while watching religious programmes on TV a person slowly starts browsing through other programme as well,” the fatwa read. A trial version of the world's first Muslim-friendly virtual world was launched in late 2008, where users can create an online persona, design their own rooms, buy virtual items and interact with others. Called Muxlim Pal and created by the Finnish-based company Muxlim.com, the English-language site caters primarily to Muslims living in western countries who long to reconnect with other Muslims and Muslim culture. "Muxlim Pal is just another channel for our users to socialise, have fun and express themselves using social media in a safe and friendly atmosphere," Muxlim chief executive Mohamed El-Fatatry said. On Muxlim Pal, which is free of charge to join, users can shop for clothes for their avatar at the mall, hang out at the beach cafe, pray at the mosque or go to concerts. What makes Muxlim Pal different from other popular websites such as Second Life is that the content portraying violence, drugs, sexual references or profanity is not allowed. Users can flag content they find unsuitable and inform community managers, who will delete material after it has been flagged a number of times. The Internet is also buzzing with several Muslim social networks. Muslimsocial.com, muslimsocialnetwork.com, naseeb.com and Salam are some of the online social networks that aim to connect Muslims from across the globe. For example Naseeb.com is an online community that connects young, educated, professional Muslims through networks of friends. The site claims to provide a safe, discreet, and trusted environment for meeting other people with similar backgrounds.
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