New Fatwa Bans Sculpture

Thanks to Islamic clerics, we have fatwas (religious edicts) against women wearing pants, against men playing soccer with bare legs, against beauty pageants, and so on. Joining the long list of no-nos is an Egyptian fatwa against sculpture (presumably seconded by the Taliban authorities who blew up these giant Buddhas). From the Christian Science Monitor, with a hat tip to Dhimmi Watch:

More than 1,300 years after the Muslim conquest swept through Egypt, one of the country's highest religious authorities has declared that its ancient sculptures are forbidden by Islam. In his fatwa — or religious ruling — issued earlier this month, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa quoted a saying of the prophet Muhammad that sculptors will be among those receiving the harshest punishment on Judgment Day.

It's not a stretch to believe that Muslim extremists will see the fatwa as a license to destroy some of the country's most treasured archeological artifacts, at the same time dealing a blow to Egypt's multi-billion-dollar tourism industry.

Comments

[Martin Owens]

Islamic iconoclasts would be hard put to match the damage already inflicted on Egyptian monuments by earlier Christian iconoclasts, I've seen it and it's heartbreaking....

But I think we are missing a bet here, by not exploring the potential behind fatwas.

There is no organically constituted central religious authority in Islam ( that is, while certain scholars of various schools and sects are widely respected, there is no Islamic Pope to lay down the doctrines that every believer MUST believe, nor the errors that they MUST NOT.)This is why Muslims through the centuries have had every bit as much fun killing each other over religious trivia as we in the West have.

But the point is, it seems any male Muslim in his right mind can publish fatwas. Why can't we use that to our advantage? If we can't get so-called moderates to pitch for us, join up and publish our own! Think about it...

[Rover Random]

Hahaha. Boom go the pyramids. I look forward to seeing that on TV, slow-mo replay even! Serves them right it does.