The Board of Senior Ulema has set up a new committee to regulate the publication of religious fatwas in a bid to prevent the haphazard issuing of edicts by unauthorized scholars. The move, decided at a recent meeting in Riyadh to introduce a new organizational structure for the Board, will see fatwa offices opened across the country and the appointment of certified muftis to assist the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta. Many enquiries concern Islamic issues related to divorce, and it is hoped that the new committee, to be chaired by Sheikh Saleh Bin Muhammad Al-Luhaidan, will take the strain off the Permanent Committee, which has only seven members and is chaired by the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh. It will also assist spouses seeking rulings on aspects of divorce for which a fatwa can only be issued after the appearance of the couple before the Permanent Committee. – Okaz/SG The Grand Mufti has stated previously that edicts should only released by the official Permanent Committee which, he said, would stop any authorized or unqualified persons from issuing fatwas.
