Date of source: Wednesday, March 6, 2002
Muhammad Al-Baz suggested in his article “The End of the Monopoly of Fatwas in Egypt” the establishment of a supreme council of fatwas that should include scholars in all scientific and social fields besides Azhar scholars, as the latter cannot afford answers to all kinds of questions sent to them...
Date of source: Monday, April 15, 2002
The new Mufti of Egypt decided to entrust the task of issuing fatwas to the Islamic Research Institute. The author believes this not to be a good decision, as the Institute has charged many intellectuals with kufr [unbelief] and is not known for defending the freedom of opinion. He suggested the...
Date of source: Wednesday, April 3, 2002
The mufti of Egypt said that the Palestinian resistance operations are martyrdom operations and even more elevated than this. He added that the religious discourse should be reconsidered, not to satisfy America but because it has been very superficial for long time.
Date of source: Saturday, March 16, 2002
The latest fatwa of Sheikh Atiya Saqr that forbids shaking hands between men and women is a return to the dogmatic opinions that preceded the explosion of terrorism in Egypt. The author wondered how could Egypt fight terrorism without fighting such strange beliefs that create the atmosphere for the...
Date of source: Saturday, March 16, 2002
Many Azhar professors said that shaking hands between women and men is not haram as long as the people involved in the handshake do not have bad intentions of lust or desire. Dr. Abdel-Mo’ti Bayoumi criticized the way Sheikh Atiya Saqr follows in interpreting hadiths. He said that Sheikh Saqr...
Date of source: Monday, March 18, 2002
The fatwa that forbids shaking hands between men and women contradicts the moderation Sheikh Atiya Saqr is known for. It was better for Sheikh Saqr to present the opinions of jurists on this point and let people decide for themselves. This fatwa put many of the Azhar scholars in a critical...
Date of source: Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Sheikh Atiya Saqr stressed that he would not withdraw his statement about prohibiting shaking hands between men and women, as this is stated in a true hadith. He said that he would not take the trouble and respond to those who criticized his fatwa, as some of them deny the sunna. He added that if...
Date of source: Saturday, March 9, 2002
Sheikh Attiya Saqr issued a fatwa to the effect that shaking hands between men and women is haram [religiously forbidden], as men touches the hands of women with the aim of satisfying their desires. Some Azhar professors and Islamic thinkers believed the fatwa to be strange and extremist.
Date of source: Friday, March 1, 2002
It is necessary for Muslim men of religion to have their own uniform, as a way of protecting Islam against the swindlers who deform its image and deceive people by their false teachings. The idea of the uniform does not mean giving preference to men of religion over other Muslims and it does not...
Date of source: Saturday, December 7, 2002
The Islamic Research Institute issued a fatwa confirming that bank interests are permissible and does not involve any type of usury. The fatwa aroused controversy in the banking sector and between a large number of investors to such extent that some of them asked for the abolishment of the so-...