Interview:
by Amr Roshdy:
Cairo:
In Dismantling Extremist Discourse, Strengthening Societal Peace, Renewing Religious Concepts, and confronting unregulated Fatwas?
I. The Role of Fatwa Institutions in Dismantling Extremist Discourse and Confronting Radical Groups. Fatwa institutions stand at the frontline of the intellectual battle against extremism because they possess the one thing militant groups desperately try to claim: religious authority, Extremist organisations such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Taliban have consistently relied on distorted interpretations of sacred texts to recruit, mobilise, and justify violence. The most effective refutation of such misuse of religion, as decades of experience have shown, comes from within religion itself through authoritative, well-grounded counter-fatwas issued by qualified scholars who carry the trust of the Muslim community.
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta has pioneered several institutional mechanisms in this regard. The most significant is the Observatory of Takfiri Fatwas and Extremist Views, established in 2014 as the first Islamic reference centre dedicated to monitoring, analysing, and responding to extremist interpretations worldwide.
The methodology of dismantlement operates on multiple levels:
Theological deconstruction: Fatwa institutions systematically expose how extremist fatwas deviate from classical scholarly consensus. They demonstrate, with full scholarly apparatus, that concepts like indiscriminate takfir (excommunicating Muslims), obligatory hijra to so-called caliphates, and justification of suicide bombings are categorically rejected by most of the Islamic scholarship across all schools of thought.
Collective authoritative declarations:
The power of a unified scholarly voice cannot be overstated. Pakistan’s Pagham-e-Pakistan 2018), signed by over 1,800 scholars from all schools of thought, categorically declared terrorism and suicide attacks haram. Pakistan’s President called it “a strong base for the stability of a moderate Islamic society” and a foundation for national narrative-building. Similarly, in Afghanistan in 2018, over 2,000 clerics issued a fatwa outlawing suicide bombing, which contributed to a brief but unprecedented Taliban ceasefire.
Transnational coordination:
The General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, established in 2015, unites fatwa institutions across the globe under a single umbrella to amplify moderate voices and coordinate counter-extremism messaging. It operates as what may be described as a “soft power think-tank,” using research, dialogue, and publication rather than coercion to counter radical narratives.
II. How the Enlightened Fatwa Contributes to Strengthening Societal Peace
The relationship between fatwa and societal peace is not incidental—it is structural. Among the Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of Islamic law) that is often overlooked is the objective of preserving peace (hifz al-amn). National stability and social harmony form the foundation for a harmonious and thriving Islamic way of life, serving as a prerequisite for the protection of the five essential daruriyyat: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property.
The enlightened fatwa contributes to societal peace through several pathways:
First, providing religious legitimacy for public welfare measures. A striking example was the COVID-19 pandemic, when the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide issued a transnational directive in March 2020 declaring that people “must follow medical instructions and stay away from gatherings.
Second, promoting interfaith coexistence and social cohesion. Dar al-Ifta has consistently issued fatwas encouraging positive relations with non-Muslims. In December 2024, The landmark Marrakesh Declaration of 2016, endorsed by over 300 Muslim scholars, affirmed the rights of religious minorities in Muslim-majority lands based on the Charter of Medina, providing a blueprint for Muslim governments to bolster coexistence.
Third, building consensus and resolving internal divisions. Fatwas issued by officially recognised bodies help generate agreement among Muslims on contentious issues, reducing the potential for internal communal strife.
Fourth, providing moral frameworks for governance and justice. The fatwa, when it operates within the framework of wasatiyya (moderation) and awareness of contemporary realities, becomes a guide not just for personal piety but for public ethics encouraging transparency, fighting corruption, and anchoring governance in principles of justice and human dignity.
Yet the movement of renewal, effectively stalled after the school of Imam Muhammad Abduh and his peers, only to be replaced by an extremist discourse that disregarded the essence and principles of religious teachings and focused on apparent issues instead.
The following concepts are among the most urgent in need of correction or renewal:
1. Takfir (Excommunication): The reckless, wholesale declaration of Muslims as disbelievers has been the single most dangerous tool in the extremist arsenal. It serves, as Dar al-Ifta’s Observatory noted in its first report, as “legal permits for killing which undermine the objectives of Islamic law”. The Amman Message (2004–2005), endorsed by 200 scholars from over 50 countries.
2. Jihad: The distortion of jihad from a complex, multi-layered concept encompassing the struggle against one’s own ego, the effort to build a just society, and defensive warfare under strict conditions into a blanket license for violence is one of the deepest corruptions of Islamic teaching.
3. The binary of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Kufr: As I have written before, “It is no longer accepted to keep dividing the world’s countries into abode of Islam and abode of disbelief.”
4. The concept of qadar (predestination) and zuhd (asceticism): The misunderstanding of predestination as fatalism, and asceticism as disengagement from the world, has been detrimental to the ummah’s wellbeing and can impede any prospects of progress. As Dr. Hatem al-Haj has noted, we need to “reset our collective understanding of these concepts to the time of the Messenger and his Companions”.
5. Relations with non-Muslims:
The aberrant notion that Muslims should harbour hostility toward peaceful non-Muslims, refuse to greet them on their holidays, or refrain from civic engagement in pluralistic societies contradicts explicit Qur’anic injunctions and Prophetic practice.
6. The role of women: Extremist discourse has severely restricted women’s agency in ways that contradict both the letter and spirit of Islamic teaching. Renewal in this area requires returning to the comprehensive textual evidence and the practice of the early Muslim community.
7. Over-reporting of scholarly consensus (ijma’): This has stifled ijtihad-based renewal by treating debatable positions as settled. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal himself warned: “Whoever claimed a consensus has lied; maybe they disagreed”.
8. The shift from substance to form: Contemporary religious discourse has often prioritised technical formalities over spirituality and morality, minor details over major foundations. and exterior appearances over inner substance. The needed change of emphasis is, as scholars have noted, “not in any way an attempt to show disregard for the Shariah or for the Sunnah, but simply to rearrange the priorities of the religion into the proper order”.
IV. Confronting Unregulated and Aberrant Fatwas on Social Media
The explosion of social media has created what Egypt’s Grand Mufti has called “fatwa chaos” a situation where “people without any religious academic experience issue fatwas through TV channels or via social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube”. Self-appointed preachers, social media influencers, and political opportunists.
Fatwa institutions have responded through a multi-pronged strategy:
Egypt’s Parliament passed the *Fatwa Regulation Law*, which clearly defines who has the right to issue public fatwas, restricting this authority to Egypt’s highest religious bodies: Al-Azhar’s Council of Senior Scholars, the Islamic Research Academy, the Ministry of Religious Endowments, and Dar al-Ifta. It criminalises the publication of fatwas from unauthorized sources, with penalties of up to six months in prison and fines of 100,000 Egyptian pounds. Dar al-Ifta has built a robust online presence with multilingual portals in Arabic, English, French, German, Urdu, Pashto, Swahili, Hausa, and other languages, disseminating authoritative fatwas, articles, and videos that counter both extremist rhetoric and Islamophobic narratives.
Mufti training and credentialing: The Fatwa Regulation Law mandates the establishment of a *Mufti Preparation Centre* to provide scientific training and qualifications, after which each mufti receives a diploma and license to issue fatwas on specified religious issues. No religious scholar is permitted to issue fatwas without this accreditation.
Egypt’s Grand Mufti has called for enhanced coordination among fatwa institutions and proposed the development of a Fatwa Code of Ethics to curb unregulated and arbitrary rulings, distinguishing between personal and public fatwas to safeguard the integrity of religious discourse. Proactive monitoring and rapid response: The observatories at Dar al-Ifta monitor over 150,000 websites worldwide for extremist content.
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta and the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide have emerged as global leaders in this endeavour, demonstrating that the most powerful weapon against the misuse of religion is the authentic, moderate, compassionate voice of religion itself. As the Prophet ﷺ indicated, a recurring divine provision for the preservation of this religion and the welfare of humanity.
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