2007 Press Releases
Press Release
North American Fiqh Council Issues New Fatwa: Condems Religious Extremism
Yaounde, December 19, 2007
On November 30, the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) issued a fatwa against religious extremism that states (1) all acts of terrorism targeting civilians are forbidden; (2) Muslims are forbidden to cooperate with any individual or group involved in terrorism or violence and; (3) Muslims have a “civic and religious duty to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.” The fatwa was delivered at an interfaith event at the National Press Club, in Washington.
FCNA is the most authoritative Muslim judicial body in North America and consists of 18 Islamic jurists and religious scholars, including two women. They are regularly consulted by American Muslims for spiritual guidance and Qur'anic interpretation on personal and societal issues. In the United State, the Fiqh Council is the highest judicial body in the Muslim community. It advises North American Muslims on matters of Islamic law. It had issued a similar edict two years ago, and renewed it November 30. It also issued a fatwa in October 2001, stating that American Muslims could and should serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Fiqh Council Chairman Muzammil Siddiqi, a former president of the Islamic Society of North America, presented the fatwa, saying that "since peace is the rule, not the exception, in our faith, it follows that any act of violence in humanity and injustice by any party against any party must be condemned as contrary to God's teachings." Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, called the statement “courageous” and “something which will touch all of us in the United States and beyond.”
The fatwa calls for the defeat of extremism and terrorism and the safety and security of the United States and its people and all of the people of the world. Siddiqi said the fatwa has been endorsed by 500 Muslim leaders in the United States and major Islamic organizations across the country.
The interfaith event in Washington joined Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders to announce the launching of "Uniting to Protect," a national grassroots movement to unite Americans of all religious groups against terrorists.