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Grand
Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi
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By
Sobhy Mujahid, IOL Cairo Correspondent
CAIRO,
November 14 (IslamOnline) - Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Mohammad
Sayyed Tantawi, ruled late Wednesday, November 13, that acquiring the
American nationality is halal (allowed in Islam).
Sheikh
Tantawi asserted that every Muslim with an American nationality or
seeking to acquire it is not apostate as claimed by some.
Nationality
is one thing and faith is another, said Sheikh Tantawi, who heads the
highest religious authority in the Sunni Muslim world, denying any
connection between the two.
He
said when a Muslim holds a foreign nationality, he is only seeking to
obtain special privileges for his own interest, which does not violate
the Islamic Shari’a (law).
Sheikh
Ali abul-Hassan, Chairman of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, had earlier
issued a fatwa ruling that obtaining or seeking to obtain the American
nationality is haram (prohibited).
He
branded any person seeking to obtain the American nationality at the
present time, with anti-Muslim American stances on the rise, as an
apostate allied with the enemy against his nation and faith.
But
the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar underlined that boycott of Jewish and Israeli
products is obligatory on every Muslim, describing it as a drive to
weaken the enemy.
He
asserted, however, that only economy experts can judge about boycotting
American or foreign products.
“If
they [economy experts] say that buying commodities from a certain
country harms Muslims, then boycott would be obligatory and buying such
products would be haram,” said Sheikh Tantawi.
“Islam
allows peace with the other, provided that he [the other] be peaceful,
and prohibits it [peace] with those who fight Muslims or join others in
assaulting Muslims,” he stressed.
Sheikh
Tantawi lashed out at those who issue fatwas (religious edicts)
without a solid base of knowledge, asserting that Islam prohibits such a
thing because it would bring more harm to Muslims.
He
warned such persons of Allah Almighty's punishment.
On
allegations by some that hijab (the traditional Islamic headscarf
for women) was only obligatory for the wives of Prophet Muhammad
(Allah’s peace and prayers be upon him), the Grand Imam described
those making such a claim as semi-crazy and ignorant of Islam.
The
Qur'anic verses on hijab, though speaking about the wives of the
Prophet, are addressed to all Muslim women, Sheikh Tantawi averred.
Asked
why Al-Azhar did not go ahead with plans to build religious institutes
in European countries as announced before, Shaikh Tantawi asserted that
Al-Azhar cannot set up affiliated institutes outside Egypt.
Al-Azhar
can only apply religious teachings in institutes already built by such
countries if asked to supervise them, he said.
“Sometimes
you propose to a country building an Azharite institute, but it refuses,
fearing it might create an independent entity inside its own
territories,” Sheikh Tantawi said.
In
a fatwa about cinema and art, the Grand Imam said these were forms of
culture the good in which is acceptable and the ugly rejected.
“In
their works, artists must abide by manners that are of benefit to the
society,” Sheikh Tantawi concluded.
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