THE Egyptian Dar al-Ifta (the highest Islamic legal authority), presided over by the Mufti Ali Gomaa, has recently launched a new section for financial and economic affairs, which would issue fatwas (religious edicts) in response to enquires from the public, for instance wills, alms, inheritance, and all sorts of bank dealings. Since its establishment in l895, the Dar al- Ifta in Egypt has been keen to keep Muslims informed of religious principles to guide them in their worldly choices. One of its basic functions has been offering edicts concerning newly-arisen issues of contemporary life. Amid the present whirlpool of religious edicts presented on satellite TV channels, which in most cases tend to be fanatical and are at times misleading, the role of the Egyptian Dar al-Ifta, which represents the voice of moderate Islam, has become of utmost significance. The problem, however, with Dar al-Ifta is that many people have little trust in its edicts because they believe that its scholars are Government employees that give Islamic legal opinion in line with official policies. Sheikh Ali Gomaa, an enlightened Muslim scholar himself, who received a secular university education, majoring in commerce before studying theology at Al-Azhar, is wellaware of the designated role of the institution he heads. He is, however, required more than ever now to change the public perception of Dar al-Ifta. People have to be lured one way or another to Dar al-Ifta to seek consultation instead of turning to less reliable religious sources. The new financial and economic section is hopefully expected to fill a gap and present edicts in a modern and convincing way. The electronic archives project and the computing centre that assist scholars in their research work are a credit to Dar al-Ifta and assets that ought to be further utilised to give more credibility to the prestigious Islamic legal institution.
