# Specific Fatwas against Bin Ladin and Al Qaeda **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289 "2003-11-20T12:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/1 "2003-11-20T12:37:41Z")
What specific fatwas have been issued in condemnation against Al Qaeda and against Osama bin Ladin? I refer only to formal fatwas by Muslim religious leaders. Is there a list compiled somewhere? I only want actual verifiable instances–matters of fact, not opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/2 "2003-11-20T15:27:28Z")
Hellooooo? Anybody? Really, I’d like some evidence to show that religious leaders of Islam have taken the step of issuing formal fatwas against Al Qaeda and Osama bin Ladin. Just a few of these would be able to silence those intolerant sorts who keep mis-portraying Islam as “supporting terrorism”. So when were the fatwas issued and by whom? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/3 "2003-11-20T16:22:22Z")
[Nov 1999 BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/519776.stm) article on Afghan clerics saying the murder of Bin Laden would be fine. Only a quick look on Google and hardly a “peaceful” call to action. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/4 "2003-11-20T16:44:22Z")
To quote [Maulana Marghoob-ur-Rehman](http://www.haadi.exactpages.com/news/defender.htm), when asked a similar question, “You are mistaking a fatwa with a press release.” > [@](#): > > A Fatwa is a legal pronouncement in Islam, issued by a religious law specialist, on a specific issue. Usually a fatwa is issued at the request of an individual or a judge to settle a question where fiqh, “Islamic jurisprudence,” is unclear. Because there is no central Islamic priesthood, there is also no generally accepted method to determine who can issue a Fatwa and who cannot, leading some Islamic scholars to complain that too many people feel qualified to issue a fatwa. ([source: Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwa) ) > [@](#): > > Today, fatwas have limited importance in most Muslim societies, and are normally used only in cases of marriage, inheritance and divorce. ([source: Encyclopedia of the Orient](http://i-cias.com/e.o/fatwa.htm)) Unless you’re planning to marry Osama, what are you complaining about? It’s true that some radical Muslims fire off fatwas against all and sundry, but most Islamic religious authorities distance themselves from such declamations. Your question is a little like asking “what talk radio hosts have called for religious tolerance?” If you want examples of senior Islamic figures condemning Bin Laden, I would point you to: [Pakistani Cleric Condemns Bin Laden](http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2001-10/19/article7.shtml) [Cleric condemns suicide attacks](http://middleeastinfo.org/article3014.html) [Jailed Saudi cleric repents, condemns bombing](http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/world/7293640.htm) [Muslim Americans Condemn Attack](http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=AM0109-335) [American Muslims and Scholars denounce Terrorism](http://www.islam-democracy.org/terrorism_statement.asp) And everything cited [here](http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php). But since you ask, [here](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/519776.stm)’s the Taliban, one of the few regimes who did regularly produce them, giving a fatwa calling for Bin Laden’s execution. [Here is Ziauddin Sardar](http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,1373,556636,00.html) criticising Islamic failure to fatwa terrorists while issuing a fatwa against terrorism. [Here’s an Afghan clerics’ fatwa](http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/09/21/stories/01210001.htm) calling for Osama to leave their country. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/5 "2003-11-20T16:49:01Z")
Good luck. By the way, being critical of Islam for failing to achieve a moderate voice that speaks out against the radical militant segments is hardly being “intolerant”. At some point, those who claim it “supports terrorism” almost have their case made for them by the defeaning silence. As with the U.S. and international news, printed press, etc., I think you’ll have a difficult time finding a cite. I’m not saying that some haven’t spoken out but it is by almost any definition a minority. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/6 "2003-11-20T17:05:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by refusal \* > > If you want examples of senior Islamic figures condemning Bin Laden, I would point you to: > > [Pakistani Cleric Condemns Bin Laden](http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2001-10/19/article7.shtml) > [Cleric condemns suicide attacks](http://middleeastinfo.org/article3014.html) > [Jailed Saudi cleric repents, condemns bombing](http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/world/7293640.htm) > [Muslim Americans Condemn Attack](http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=AM0109-335) > [American Muslims and Scholars denounce Terrorism](http://www.islam-democracy.org/terrorism_statement.asp) > And everything cited [here](http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php). > > But since you ask, [here](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/519776.stm)’s the Taliban, one of the few regimes who did regularly produce them, giving a fatwa calling for Bin Laden’s execution. [Here is Ziauddin Sardar](http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,1373,556636,00.html) criticising Islamic failure to fatwa terrorists while issuing a fatwa against terrorism. [Here’s an Afghan clerics’ fatwa](http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/09/21/stories/01210001.htm) calling for Osama to leave their country. All of these are the sort of things I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-fatwas-against-bin-ladin-and-al-qaeda/214289/7 "2003-11-20T18:31:45Z")
This might be the same thing as **Grey** ’s article, but I don’t think so because it appears to be done in Peshawar, Pakistan rather than Afghanistan. A group calling itself Takfiris issued a [fatwa](http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19990719/ige19097.html) calling for [bin Laden’s death](http://www.rd.dgu.ru/enews18.html) in 1999. This is a bit confusing because there are other people who alsoi call themselves Takfiris who are actually members of al-Qaeda. I can’t tell the players apart without a score card. It’s not the sort of fatwa that I find particularly encouraging, given that the Takfiris that issued the order is a breakaway group of Islamic Jihad and that its principal complaint against bin Laden is that he is diverting money away from worthier jihadists. I suspect the sort of Muslim scholars who are against bin Laden are also hesitant to use their religious authority and influence to issue a fatwa calling for someone’s death, even someone as destructive to the faith as bin Laden is.