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 Pageâ€.
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 wileynessâ€
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)â€.
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.
