The Fatwa on Facebook
Photo by Sitmonkey
Written by Moamer Khalaileh
I felt obliged to write something concerning a recent fatwa (religious ruling) by Al Azhar prohibiting the use of Facebook.
Their reasoning: The use of Facebook may lead to illicit relationships between men and women.
The Azhar scholars cited a survey that indicated the social networking site was responsible for 1 in 5 cases of divorce in Egypt due to unlawful relationships between married partners and others.
My initial reaction to the fatwa was anger and indignation. Objectivity is important, so I waited until my temper was more manageable before contemplating the religious ruling and I advise the reader to suspend any frustrations they may have and allow us to display both sides of the argument fairly.
Argument for:
Facebook makes connecting with other people easier, especially in more conservative societies where relationships between men and women are restricted. This freedom opens the door for people to represent themselves more truthfully. Things they may do online they certainly would not do in real life where cultural norms take president.
The scholar responsible for the fatwa mentions a law in Islamic Jurisprudence:
درأ المفسده مقدم على جلب المنفعة,
Pre-empting evil takes precedence over bringing benefit. In other words, Facebook’s evils outweigh its benefits therefore to prevent its evils it should be forbidden.
Simply put, Facebook breaks up families.
Against:
Ironically, one of the clerics who issued the fatwa, (Abd al-Hamid al-Atrash) unwittingly made a compelling argument against the ruling: (I’m paraphrasing here)
“Facebook, and other means of communication, whether satellite television, is a double-edged weapon, like a knife kitchen, if used in the right place it will achieve its purpose but if used outside the kitchen it becomes corrupt.”
My opinion:
1. A man or woman who is prepared to cheat on their spouse using Facebook, given the chance, will do so in real life.
2. Presuming the survey is accurate, then it’s indicative not so much of social networking sites ‘evils’ as it is an indicator of much deeper problems in Egyptian and I believe Arab societies as a whole. Last year, a fatwa was issued in Jordan prohibiting chatting between sexes.
These Fataws are like trying to plug a hole in a dam with your finger when the dam is about to burst. Mobile phones, television, the internet; the communications revolution has had a profound impact on how we interact. This has left many Muslims with the impression that traditional Muslim societies are under threat. This is entirely understandable. But trying to treat the problem by refusing to deal with it is not the answer. Excuse the clichés, but we need to stop tackling the symptoms and start treating the causes.
3. I think we can all agree on the usefulness of kitchen knifes. And having them locked away will not do anyone any good. But by teaching people their correct use and instilling in them the values that have insured the safety of kitchen knife users and those in their proximity for so many years, then I am sure everybody will be happy.
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