CAIRO: Leading Muslim clerics meeting in Cairo on Tuesday called for moderation in issuing religious edicts, in an attempt to counter extremist fatwas that sanction jihadist atrocities.

The muftis — often chief interpreters of Islamic law in their countries — and clerics agreed at the conclusion of the two-day conference on training for Muslim scholars and coordination on issues of Islamic law.

“You do not need to be reminded that leniency (in dealing) with fatwas that excommunicate” Muslims has resulted in “murder and bloodshed”, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, head of the prestigious Cairo-based Islamic Al-Azhar institution, told the conference.

In a closing statement, the clerics called for greater attention to “renewing” the scholarship that goes into issuing fatwas and for religious decrees to take modern times into account.

The statement advocates training in modern sciences for clerics and an emphasis on considering social norms when issuing edicts.

Traditional clerics and institutions like Al-Azhar, a leading centre of Sunni Islamic learning, have struggled to counter the extremist ideology of jihadists such as the self-styled Islamic State.

They have also seen their authority wane in the Internet age, with many Muslims consulting religious websites for quick answers to queries.

The past decade has likewise seen the spread of religious television stations and programmes that often host clerics with little formal training. The clerics in their statement urged the media to host only “specialised muftis” on television programmes.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2015

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