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| Great White North |
| Canadian fatwa calls for tolerance, respect for law |
| 2006-06-15 |
| The Canadian representative of a powerful Iraqi cleric has issued a fatwa on his behalf asking all Muslims to act in the best interests of the countries in which they live. Sayed Nabil Abbas delivered the message at a news conference Wednesday in Montreal on behalf of Grant Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most senior Shia cleric in Iraq. Mr. Abbas gave the message of tolerance, which he says the cleric wanted heard after the recent arrest of 17 presumed terrorists in Toronto. He said all Muslims must respect the laws of their new countries and not commit any acts that would put anyone in danger. He also called on the Canadian government to investigate any acts that could harm fellow Muslims or citizens. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #5 In Judaism you are obliged to obey the laws of the country "dina de malchuta dina" BUT if the state says, eat pork, or dont go to shul, or kill an innocent fellow citizen, you are NOT exempt from going to shul, or allowed to eat pork. Or to kill an innocent fellow citizen. These are not practical worries in the USA or Canada, but a statement that said "obey the laws of the state, whatever they are" would not be halachakily correct. I presume the legal situation is the same in Shia Islam, and so Sistani could NOT say "obey the laws WHATEVER they are". |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-06-15 11:05 |
| #4 Taquia, taquia, para mi! |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-06-15 10:37 |
| #3 Oh. Never mind, then. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-15 09:54 |
| #2 The quote in this story is not complete. See Jihad Watch: "The Ayatollah Al-Sistani orders Muslims of Canada to respect the laws of their host country, 'insofar as religious values are not ridiculed.'" This is not a "let's make nice with the Canadians" story. It is a "obey the laws, unless we disagree with them" story. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2006-06-15 09:12 |
| #1 The tide appears to be turning, although apparently fatwas are advisory rather than mandatory, even for the Shiite followers of Ayatollah Ali al Sistani. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-15 08:43 |