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Subject: Ibrahim Hooper and the Fatwa against terrorism.

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I am an American Muslim, and I disagree with the Fatwas issued by Muslim leaders in Europe and North America for a few reasons.

First the issuance of a Fatwa presupposes that there is a unified Islamic infrastructure. There is no Islamic Vatican from which these edicts should flow. I think this has a great deal to do with why no fatwas concerning terrorism have been released in the past.

More importantly the insistance on a fatwa condemning terrorism by American and European leaders displays sheer ignorance of what a fatwa is. It is my understanding that a Fatwa is issued by a religious leader when there is an issue that is unclear. For example, to determine the permisibility of a technology that may not have been developed at the time of Prophetic tradition.

Terrorism is inherintly against Islamic traditions, and war is only a tool used to alleviate injustice, a strikingly similar position to that of the current administration.

A side note, to say that Muslims have not condemned acts of terror is absolute lunacy. I remeber driving through Main St in downtown Paterson NJ and seeing a banner that stretched accross the considerably wide street saying "Muslim's Condemn Terrorism" funded by the Islamic Center of Passaic County.
-BA

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