Malaysian PM congratulates Egypt's Al-Sisi on Gaza peace deal    Egypt's Al-Mashat discusses MIGA portfolio, second EU assistance tranche with officials    CIB's Hisham Ezz Al-Arab wins Global Finance lifetime achievement award    Al-Sisi reviews Cairo Airport's new terminal project designed to handle 30 million passengers annually    Pakistan launches 'precision strikes' on Afghan border militants after suicide attack    Trump urges Ukraine conflict freeze, dashes Zelenskyy's hopes for advanced arms    Egypt courts Indian green energy investment in talks with Ocior Energy    Egypt raises fuel prices, imposes one-year freeze amid cost pressures    Egypt, India hold first strategic dialogue to deepen ties    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt, Qatar sign MoU to boost cooperation in healthcare, food safety    EGX ends week mostly higher on Oct. 16    Egypt, UK, Palestine explore financing options for Gaza reconstruction ahead of Cairo conference    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Egypt explores cooperation with Chinese firms to advance robotic surgery    AUC makes history as 1st global host of IMMAA 2025    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Cabinet hails Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit as turning point for Middle East peace    Egypt's human rights committee reviews national strategy, UNHRC membership bid    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths one of largest New Kingdom Fortresses in North Sinai    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Egypt Writes Calm Anew: How Cairo Engineered the Ceasefire in Gaza    Egypt's acting environment minister heads to Abu Dhabi for IUCN Global Nature Summit    Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation    Cairo's Al-Fustat Hills Park nears completion as Middle East's largest green hub – PM    El-Sisi boosts teachers' pay, pushes for AI, digital learning overhaul in Egypt's schools    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Egypt reviews Nile water inflows as minister warns of impact of encroachments on Rosetta Branch    Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham    Egypt to host men's, juniors' and ladies' open golf championships in October    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Al-Azhar says no fatwa against Facebook
Published in Bikya Masr on 09 - 02 - 2010

CAIRO: Egypt's top religious academy has denied it issued a fatwa against the social network Facebook. The rumors had spread after al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy allegedly said the site would lead to sexual affairs between unmarried men and women, which had sparked an outrcy from Egyptian activists, rights groups and average citizens who use the network to stay in touch with friends.
“If people think Facebook will lead to sex, then they need to grow up,” said Ahmed Badrawi, a 22-year-old university student. “The Internet has so many things and to say Facebook is the problem is ridiculous.”
“The committee hasn’t issued any decrees regarding Facebook,” said Sheikh Saied Amer, head of the academy's fatwa, or religious-edict, committee, in a statement published by the Los Angeles Times. “We haven’t even had any inquiries about the religious legitimacy of using it or not.”
The influential Sunni Islam institution, al-Azhar, has come under controversy for a string of fatwas in recent years. First, one scholar said that women should breast-feed their male colleagues in an effort to reduce sexual harassment in the work place. This was revoked shortly after, as the institution said it was in “bad taste.” Last year, al-Azhar came under scrutiny after Grand Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi called for the niqab – the covering that conservative women use to cover their face – to be banned in Egypt.
This most recent alleged fatwa took the Egyptian and Arab media by storm after London's al-Quds al-Arabi published last Thursday a quote from the former head of the fatwa committee, Sheikh Abdul Hamid Atrash, where he said the website was causing unnecessary harm to Islamic societies as a result of its usefulness in creating illicit relationships between men and women.
The newspaper reported Atrash's fatwa was based on a survey conducted by the Egyptian National Council for Social and Criminal Research, whose results showed that one in five Egyptian divorces was caused by infidelity with a partner found through Facebook.
According to the survey, Facebook has made it easier for lonely, bored men and women to find a partner and form a relationship outside marriage.
Atrash, however, followed up on his comments a few days later, stressing that he didn’t even know how Facebook operated.
“I didn’t ask people to stop using Facebook. All I said was that new media is a double-edged weapon,” Atrash stressed. “The fatwa I issued was that people can only use the Internet to benefit from it in their work and life, whereas they're forbidden from using pornography or websites that promote illicit relations.”
One avid Facebook user said that even if al-Azhar was to issue a fatwa, “it is unlikely any of us would think about following it because it doesn't make sense. Blaming Facebook is an excuse for the lack of opportunities and poor lives we live in Egypt.”
BM


Clic here to read the story from its source.