In an article in today's Sunday Times, we are told that most British Muslims think that we should have a Mufti. The full findings of the poll can be seen here.
When I looked at the poll, it appears that the sample size is very small and the statistical analysis is somewhat questionable. There were a lot of respondents who gave "don't know" answers and in some of the analysis they have been excluded. 42 % of Sunni Muslims in the poll said that Muslims in Britain should have an official Mufti - hardly a majority.
I actually missed an editorial last week in the Times which was probably the precursor to this poll. The editorial noted that the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Ali Gomaa, made it clear that "extremists declaiming in mosques and via the internet that the only legitimate Islamic form of government is a restored “Caliphate”, such as that which stretched from Fez to Samarkand 500 years ago, are simply wrong." The editorial concludes that, "There is a strong case for British Muslims to appoint their own mufti to embody the “authentic, contemporary, tolerant Islam” that he and they hold dear."
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4 comments:
First, It is only natural for Dr Ali Gomma to argue against the concept of an Islamic Caliphate given that he would be immediately arrested on arriving back into Egypt. Second, if he legitimised the Islamic caliphate, then clearly he would have spoken out of tune with the secular dictatorship which is in place in Egypt. Third, Dr Ali Gomma is similar to Tantawi, both are state appointed, therefore no suprise that they both speak from the same hym sheet. Fourth, it is a shame that Dr Ali Gomma, failed to mention the works of classical Islamic scholars whom all consented on the role of politics in Islam. Fifth, it is a shame how scholars such as Gomma, are being used by governments to further their own political agendas. Sixth, the saying of Ali Gomma, clearly demonstrates, that he like all other state appointed scholars are out of tune with the people in the street, who are growing more consious of the Islamic ideology. Seventh, I think there is time for real dialogue on the way forward.
We already have scholars who are qualified enough to give fatwas. I don't see the need to appoint a single Mufti who monopolises the Deen like they do in other religions (the pope etc).
Muftis are not infalliable, they are human beings who can make mistakes like anyone else. Any qualified scholar should be able to give his own fatwas based on the Quran and Sunnah.
Amir makes some interesting comments about the perils of having a "Grand Mufti" position...
http://austrolabe.com/2007/06/12/and-so-it-begins/
assalam alaikum
i think the whole idea of a single Government recognised authority to control the Muslims is a failure from the start. The Muslims in Britain or anywhere are not one united single bloc lacking leadership. Most practicing Muslims are already part of or involved in some sort of Jammah, group, organised Da'wah, a shaykh or a Minhaj. Assuming, these are the kind of Muslims the Govt wishes to tap into... they rejected MCB in the past, they took on Sufi Muslim council as a big joke, and people like Ali Gomma mean nothing to most Muslims despite their shaykh al-Azhar title.
Alhamdulilah, I believe Muslims in Britain have come a long way and despite differences within groups, minhaj etc, they have shown united front in support of their brothers and sisters and they have shared platform on issues like banning of hijab. It is apparent that Muslims in Britain will not compromise their deen and values or fall for the Govt agendas.
ws.
http://Islamics.wordpress.com
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