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Turkey's religious body removes controversial fatwa from website after public reaction
[TODAYSZAMAN] ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's Religious Affairs Directorate has removed a statement it gave in response to a question on a father's "lustful" feelings for his daughter after the answer sparked wide reaction. The answer, which stands as a fatwa or a religious decree, was widely shared on the social media before its link was removed from the directorate's website. According to screen shots taken by social media users, while answering a question on whether a man's having "lustful" feelings for his daughter would religiously invalidate his marriage with the girl's mother, the High Council on Religious Affairs -- the directorate's body which deals with fatwas-- showed some Islamic sources to explain the issue. The answer said Islamic scholars have differing opinions on the issue, quoting some scholars who say the marriage would be null and void. It then explains the circumstances for such a situation to happen, which includes the girl's being above nine and the contact's being too close to arouse lustful feelings in the father. The fatwa drew strong reactions on the social media, prompting Religious Affairs Directorate to issue a statement and to remove the answer from the website. The directorate said "the opinions in the text which lack wisdom and morals cannot be attributed to the High Council on Religious Affairs and the directorate." The statement said the reports on the answer aim to discredit the directorate, noting that the question was purposefully asked by some and claimed that those who asked the question "distorted" the answer with "tricks, wiliness and wordplay". It added that "comments made by some media outlets on the issue are perverse and twisted," vowing to take legal actions against media outlets publishing the story. Posted by: Fred 2016-01-09 |
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