YEE-HAW!
A group representing 70% of Spain’s mosques has issued a fatwa against bin Laden.
According to this fatwa:
"[T]he terrorist acts of Osama bin Laden and his organization al-Qaida … are totally banned and must be roundly condemned as part of Islam."
It added: "Inasmuch as Osama bin Laden and his organization defend terrorism as legal and try to base it on the Quran … they are committing the crime of ‘istihlal’ and thus become apostates that should not be considered Muslims or treated as such." The Arabic term ‘istihlal’ refers to the act of making up one’s own laws.
Take that, UBL! In your face!
Now, unfortunately, a fatwa ain’t as good as a ruling from the Vatican because Islam has no central hierarchy, and Muslim clerics can and do issue contradictory fataawa (i.e., "fatwa"s). The Evil One has issued some fataawa himself.
Nevertheless, the fact that a group of clerics has had the guts to issue one against him is itself a sign that Muslim opinion is turning against UBL and that the War on Terror is being won.
More:
The commission [that issued the fatwa]’s secretary general, Mansur Escudero, said the group had consulted with Muslim leaders in other countries, such as Morocco — home to most of the jailed suspects in the bombings — Algeria and Libya, and had their support.
"They agree," Escudero said, referring to the Muslim leaders in the three North African countries. "What I want is that they say so publicly."
Oh yeah, and one story I saw indicated the fatwa-issuers took a bit of a rhetorical swipe at the U.S. for overreacting after 9/11, but I can put that aside. The big news is the denunciation of UBL.
This is heartening news. It begins to weaken the idea that Islam is monolithically united aginst the West.
I’ll never forget the purple finger salutes of the Iraqi election.