Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

"What occupies the minds of the men of politics, thought, and media?" questions Sayyār al-Jamīl at the beginning of his article. He wonders about the secret reasons behind the widely spreading phenomena of those who speak in the name of religion. Movements, parties, groups, countries and authorities lead such phenomena, and consider themselves above all others. Afterwards, he says that the great catastrophe are the published materials and what is said through satellite channels, internet and the different means of media without any supervision. These people issue fatwás and preach to people through narrating false stories. Al-Jamīl stresses that the new shaykhs and dā‘iyahs have invaded all fields of life and society without solving any real contemporary problems. They manipulate religion for the sake of being prominent satellite channel stars.

 

Afterwards, al-Jamīl defines fatwa, saying that it is a decision concerning certain religious or life issues according to religious sharī‘ah, and sometimes it answers a certain raised question. There are two types of Fatwás: the first one is related to worship and religious issues. The second type is related to contemporary issues like political, economic, social, and thoughtful. The role played by some shaykhs and dā‘iyahs on satellite channels raises serious problems and distorts the image of Islam, making it fertile for hatred and insult.

 

Finally, the author advocates for the importance of putting an end to these actions by issuing laws and firm instructions to reduce their authority. He advocates for establishing firm rules to control the issuing of fatwás, and distance them from politics and media.