Minister suggests turning CII into Fatwa authority

Says presence of such body will discourage unnecessary religious decrees

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri on Tuesday suggested turning the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) – an advisory body for presenting Islamic views on various policy issues – into a Federal Fatwa Centre.

“This move will help to discourage issuance of fatwa on every street and village of the country,” Qadri said while addressing a book launching ceremony at the CII headquarters. Sharing details of the idea, he said the fatwa centre will be responsible for issuance of decree on national and international issues.



When contacted, the CII chief Dr Qibla Ayaz said the federal minister has just given a suggestion.

“The aim behind this move will be to give the CII a mandate of issuing fatwas which have national and international consequences and impact. It will help to bar and discourage local muftis to give fatwa on issues which could bring embarrassment for the country,” he said.
Dr Ayaz said the CII will be given an additional responsibility for giving fatwas on issue like religious extremism, religious intolerance, three talaqs and child marriages among other things.



“The CII have members belonging to various schools of thought who are highly qualified. Therefore it is believed that their mutual advice based on new scientific research on any specific issue will help in issuing a relevant fatwa and would be in line with teachings of all sects,” he said.

However the local muftis, he added, will be allowed to give fatwas on small issues like family disputes and inheritance issues.
Back in 2013, the former CII chairman Muhammad Khan Sherani issued a fatwa on behalf of the council that said the DNA tests were unacceptable as primary evidence in rape cases, but said they could be considered as supporting evidence.