Cabinet names two women on Emirates Fatwa Council

A fatwa council was created yesterday after approval by the UAE Cabinet.

The Emirates Fatwa Council will be the official reference for fatwas – or Islamic rulings – in the country and oversee all work related to fatwas.

Chaired by Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, the council will co-ordinate fatwas and issue rulings, reported state news agency Wam.

The council also has the authority to grant licences to issue fatwas, train muftis and conduct studies in co-ordination with the country’s General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments. Experts in Islamic Sharia make up the council’s members, two of whom are women.

Shamma Al Dhaheri from Awqaf is on the council with colleague Omar Al Darai, who is director of the Fatwa Department. Members include representatives from the Department of Islamic Affairs in Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain court and Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities.

American scholar Hamza Yusuf, president of the Zaytouna College in California and one of the most influential Islamic scholars in the West, is also a member.

Prof Amany Burhanuddin, head of the Indonesian Council of Scholars for Women and Youth, is the second woman on the council.