Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Vít Šisler

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Vít Šisler Charles University in Prague vsisler@gmail. com http: //uisk. jinonice. cuni. cz/sisler

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Islam Online URL: www. islamonline. net Operates from: Cairo, Egypt Registered: Doha, Qatar Mufti(s): Yusuf al-Qaradawi, European Council for Fatwa and Research, Fiqh Council of North America, al-Azhar graduates, etc.

Title of Fatwa: Date of Reply: Topic Of Fatwa: Having a Second Wife in Western Countries 08/May/2005 Polygamy It is known that polygamy—more correctly, polygyny—is allowed in Islam. I would like to know the point of view of Islam if a Muslim living in a Western country, where polygamy is regarded unlawful, has to have a second wife due to some reasons. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear questioner! Thank you for your question and the confidence you place in our service and we pray to Allah to enable us render this service purely for His Sake. Islam is a way of life consonant with nature, providing human solutions to complex situations and avoiding extremes.

The prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Hulail, imam of Tariq ibn Ziad Mosque in Frankfurt, Germany, states: The Muslim who has a second wife has to follow the channels of law in order to legalize his second marriage in the country he lives in. There are some Muslim brothers who did so through the legitimate channels. They submitted documents to the European countries they reside in to the effect that they have second wives according to the Islamic Law and that the first wife agrees to that. If the attempts to legalize the second marriage fail, the person could document his (second) marriage in one of the Islamic centers, yet, his marriage then would not be regarded legitimate under the law of the country concerned. There are some flexible European laws concerning registering names of the children born even from illegitimate relationships.

The prominent Muslim scholar Dr. Jamal Badawi, professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and member of the Fiqh Council of North America, adds: A Muslim living in a non-Muslim society is obligated to follow the laws. We cannot say that their laws are contrary to the Shari`ah, so we have to follow the Shari`ah. Taking a second wife is not a necessary requirement; there is no mandatory duty on the Muslim to have a second wife. If a person has become a resident or a citizen in a European country, it is a condition for him to abide by its laws. When a Muslim man in a European country sticks to not having a second wife, it is like giving up a particular right according to his own Shari`ah. Allah Almighty knows best.

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Fatwa Online URL: www. fatwa-online. com Operates from: Saudi Arabia Registered: Medina, Saudi Arabia Mufti(s): Saudi Arabian Permanent Committee for Research and Fatawa

Divorce procedures in non-Muslim countries Question: If a man living within a Muslim minority community in a non-Muslim country wants to divorce his wife, should he follow the divorce procedures of that country, which controls and enforces its own law or should he follow divorce proceedings laid down by Islaamic law? Response: It is not permissible for a Muslim to follow, either in his worship or in his dealings with others, other than what is laid down in Islaamic law. It is not permitted for the Muslims to request a legal decision from anyone who does not judge according to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam).

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Ask the Imam URL: www. ask-imam. com Operates from: Campertown, South Africa Registered: El Segundo, California, US Mufti: Ebrahim Desai

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Al-Azhar URL: www. alazhar. org Operates from: Cairo, Egypt Registered: Cairo, Egypt Mufti(s): -

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Ijtihad URL: www. ijtihad. org Operates from: Falls Church, US Registered: Newark, US Author: Muqtedar Khan

INTERNET USERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND IN THE WORLD MIDDLE EAST REGION Total in Middle East Population ( 2006 Est. ) 190, 084, 161 Pop. % of World Internet Users, Latest Data % Populat ion (Penetr ation) 2. 9 % 18, 203, 500 9. 6 % 2. 9 % 454. 2 % Usage % of World Use Growth (20002005) Rest of the World 6, 309, 612, 899 97. 1 % 1, 003, 859, 782 15. 9 % 98. 2 % 180. 6 % WORLD TOTAL 6, 499, 697, 060 100. 0 % 1, 022, 063, 282 15. 7 % 100. 0 % 183. 1 % NOTES: (1) Internet Usage and Population Statistics for the Middle East were updated on March 31, 2006. (2) Population numbers are based on data contained in world-gazetteer. com (3) The most recent usage stats come mainly from data published by Nielsen//Net. Ratings , ITU , Computer Industry Almanac and other trustworthy sources. (4) Data on this site may be cited, giving due credit and establishing an active link back to Internet. World. Stats. com. ©Copyright 2006, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved.

Middle East Internet Usage and Population Statistics MIDDLE EAST Bahrain Population ( 2006 Est. ) Usage, in Dec/2000 Internet Usage, Latest Data % Population (Penetration) (%) of M. E. Use Growth (2000 -2005) 723, 039 40, 000 152, 700 21. 1 % 0. 8 % 281. 8 % Iran 69, 442, 905 250, 000 7, 500, 000 10. 8 % 41. 2 % 2, 900. 0 % Iraq 26, 628, 187 12, 500 36, 000 0. 1 % 0. 2 % 188. 0 % Israel 7, 109, 929 1, 270, 000 3, 200, 000 45. 0 % 17. 6 % 152. 0 % Jordan 5, 282, 558 127, 300 600, 000 11. 4 % 3. 3 % 371. 3 % Kuwait 2, 630, 775 150, 000 600, 000 22. 8 % 3. 3 % 300. 0 % Lebanon 4, 509, 678 300, 000 600, 000 13. 3 % 100. 0 % Oman 2, 424, 422 90, 000 245, 000 10. 1 % 1. 3 % 172. 2 % Palestine(West Bk. ) 3, 259, 363 35, 000 160, 000 4. 9 % 0. 9 % 357. 1 % 795, 585 30, 000 165, 000 20. 7 % 0. 9 % 450. 0 % Saudi Arabia 23, 595, 634 200, 000 2, 540, 000 10. 8 % 14. 0 % 1, 170. 0 % Syria 19, 046, 520 30, 000 800, 000 4. 2 % 4. 4 % 2, 566. 7 % 3, 870, 936 735, 000 1, 384. 800 35. 8 % 7. 6 % 88. 4 % 20, 764, 630 15, 000 220, 000 1. 1 % 1. 2 % 1, 366. 7 % 190, 084, 161 3, 284, 800 18, 203, 500 9. 6 % Qatar United Arab Emirates Yemen TOTAL Middle East 100. 0 454. 2 %

INTERNET USERS AND POPULATION STATISTICS FOR AFRICA REGION Total for Africa Rest of World WORLD TOTAL Population ( 2006 Est. ) Pop. % in World % Penetration Users (% in Population) World 2. 3 % 4 2 3. 9 % 999, 214, 307 17. 9 % 97. 7 % 1 8 0. 3 % 100. 0 1, 022, 863, 307 % 100. 0 % 1 8 3. 4 % 915, 210, 928 14. 1 % 5, 584, 486, 132 85. 9 % 6, 499, 697, 060 Internet Users, Latest Data U s e G r o w t h ( 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 ) 23, 649, 000 2. 6 % 15. 7 %

INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS FOR AFRICA 1 Population ( 2006 Est. ) Internet Users Dec/2000 Internet Users, Latest Data % Population (Penetration) (%) Users in Africa Use Growth ( 2000 -2005 ) Algeria 33, 033, 546 50, 000 845, 000 2. 6 % 3. 7 % 1, 590. 0 % Angola 13, 115, 606 30, 000 172, 000 1. 3 % 0. 8 % 473. 3 % Benin 7, 513, 946 15, 000 100, 000 1. 3 % 0. 4 % 566. 7 % Botswana 1, 856, 800 15, 000 60, 000 3. 2 % 0. 3 % 300. 0 % 12, 113, 523 10, 000 53, 200 0. 4 % 0. 2 % 432. 0 % 7, 909, 395 3, 000 25, 000 0. 3 % 0. 1 % 733. 3 % 17, 378, 386 20, 000 167, 000 1. 0 % 0. 7 % 735. 0 % 485, 355 8, 000 25, 000 5. 2 % 0. 1 % 212. 5 % Central African Rep. 3, 268, 182 1, 500 9, 000 0. 3 % 0. 0 % 500. 0 % Chad 8, 720, 110 1, 000 60, 000 0. 7 % 0. 3 % 5, 900. 0 % 666, 044 1, 500 8, 000 1. 2 % 0. 0 % 433. 3 % 3, 672, 441 500 36, 000 1. 0 % 0. 2 % 7, 100. 0 % Congo, Dem. Rep. 58, 731, 656 500 50, 000 0. 1 % 0. 2 % 9, 900. 0 % Cote d'Ivoire 19, 617, 714 40, 000 300, 000 1. 5 % 1. 3 % 650. 0 % 779, 684 1, 400 9, 000 1. 2 % 0. 0 % 542. 9 % 71, 236, 631 450, 000 5, 000 7. 0 % 21. 1 % 1, 011. 1 % Equatorial Guinea 1, 102, 748 500 5, 000 0. 5 % 0. 0 % 900. 0 % Eritrea 4, 189, 934 5, 000 50, 000 1. 2 % 0. 2 % 900. 0 % 72, 238, 014 10, 000 113, 000 0. 2 % 0. 5 % 1, 030. 0 % Gabon 1, 430, 453 15, 000 40, 000 2. 8 % 0. 2 % 166. 7 % Gambia 1, 471, 863 4, 000 49, 000 3. 3 % 0. 2 % 1, 125. 0 % Ghana 21, 355, 649 30, 000 368, 000 1. 7 % 1. 6 % 1, 126. 7 % Guinea 8, 080, 211 8, 000 46, 000 0. 6 % 0. 2 % 475. 0 % Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Comoros Congo Djibouti Egypt Ethiopia

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Conclusions • Challenge for the ‘traditional’ authority • Muslim minorities – non-Islamic legal framework • Exposing to debate • Individualization and privatization • Selective interpretation • Transcending virtual borders – downloading of Khutbas • ‘Imam shopping’ • Canonization of information – Digital Islamic Library Project

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Resources ABDO, G. Cyberspace frees Iran’s rebel cleric. Guardian, 5 th Aug. 2000. http: //www. guardian. co. uk/archive/article/0, 4273, 4047913, 00. html ANDERSON, J. W. Cybernauts of the Arab Diaspora: Electronic Mediation in Transnational Cultural Identities. Postmodern Culture, University of Maryland, 1997. http: //www. bsos. umd. edu/CSS 97/papers/anderson. html BRÜCKNER, M. Der Mufti im Netz. in LOHLKER, R. , Islam im Internet, Neue Formen der Religion im Cyberspace. Hamburg, Deutches Orient-Institut, 2001. (CD-ROM) BUNT, Gary R. Islam in the Digital Age: E-jihad, Online Fatwas and Cyber Islamic Environments. London, Pluto Press, 2003. BUNT, Gary R. Virtually Islamic. Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 2000. www. virtuallyislamic. com CAEIRO, A. Debating Fatwas in the Cyberspace. Sacred Media — Transforming Traditions in the Interplay of Religion and the Media, Jul. 2003. http: //www. sacredmedia. jyu. fi/mainpage. php#caeiro

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Resources II CAEIRO, A. The European Council for Fatwa and Research. Fourth Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting, Florence, 2003. http: //ternisien. blog. lemonde. fr/ternisien/files/Caeiro. pdf DAWSON, L. Cyberspace and Religious Life: Conceptualizing the Concerns and Consequences. 2001. http: //www. cesnur. org/2001/london 2001/dawson. htm GLENN, D. Who Owns Islamic Law? The Chronicle of Higher Education, 25 th Feb. 2005. www. ijtihad. org/who-owns-Islamic-law. htm JOHNSON, I. Islam and Europe: A Volatile Mix; Conflicting Advice: Islamic Justice Finds a Foothold in Hearth of Europe. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), Aug. 2005: A. 1. KARAFLOGKA, A. Cyber. Religious Norms: Breaking Old Codes – Creating New Patterns. in Cyberspace 2003: Normative Framework, Brno, Masaryk University, 2004.

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Resources III KHAN, Muqtedar. The Priority of Politics: The Tyranny of Legalism. 2003. www. bostonreview. net/BR 28. 2/khan. html MAMOUN, F. Cyber. Resistance: Saudi opposition between globalization and localization. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 41 (1): Jan. 1999: 124 – 147. MANDAVILLE, P. Information technology and the changing boundaries of European Islam. in DASSETTO, F. , Paroles d'islam; Individus, sociétés et discours dans l'islam européen contemporain. Paris, Maisonneuve-Larose, 2000. SCHROEDER, R. , HEATHER, N. , LEE, R. The Sacred and the Virtual: Religion in Multi-User Virtual Reality. 1998. http: //www. ascusc. org/jcmc/vol 4/issue 2/schroeder. html SISLER, V. Islamic Jurisprudence in Cyberspace: Construction of Interpretative Authority in Muslim Diaspora. In Cyberspace 2005 conference proceedings, Brno, Masaryk University, 2006. http: //uisk. jinonice. cuni. cz/sisler/publications/c_jurisprudence. htm

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Resources IV TEITELBAUM, J. Dueling for Da’wa: State vs. Society on the Saudi Internet. The Middle East Journal, 56 (6): Spring 2002: 222 -239. VAN BRUINESSEN, M. Making and unmaking Muslim religious authority in Western Europe. Fourth Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting, Florence, 2003. http: //www. let. uu. nl/~martin. vanbruinessen/personal/publications/making_auth ority. htm WAX, E. The Mufti in the Chat Room. The Washington Post, 31 st Jul. 1999. http: //www. ijtihad. org/mufti. htm

Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Cyberspace Thank you for your attention. vsisler@gmail. com http: //uisk. jinonice. cuni. cz/sisler