NEW DELHI, 20 September 2006 — Two muftis (Muslim religious leaders) caught on camera allegedly taking money for issuing fatwas were suspended as Ulemas decided to form a body to monitor issuance of religious edicts.
The prominent Islamic religious school, Darul Uloom, Deoband, suspended Mufti Habibur Rehman and Meerut’s Shahi Jama Masjid removed Maulana Imran Rahman after a TV channel showed them accepting money for issuing fatwas. The Star News broadcast an investigative show entitled “Benaqaab” on the world of supposedly made-to-order fatwas. The investigation discovered that fatwas or Islamic legal rulings cannot only be easily bought but made-to-order according to a person’s needs.
Darul Uloom’s Vice-Chancellor Marghoobur Rehman said Mufti Habibur Rehman was suspended Sunday after he was allegedly seen on television accepting money. He said a committee would investigate the matter and if found guilty the mufti would be dismissed.
Meerut Naib Qazi Zainur Rashideen said Imran had been removed from the mosque and also asked to leave Nakkarchian-Gudri Bazar locality.
Darul Uloom said it plans to regulate the issuing of fatwas. “To stop the misuse of edicts we are considering constituting a body that can regulate the issue of fatwas,” Shahid Rehan, an official at the school, said.
“It is really a matter of shame that a few muftis are misusing their power and are issuing fatwas by accepting money. It was most un-Islamic.”
