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November 7, 2005

France: Muslim Fatwa Against Rioting

We mentioned that only recently have Muslims been condemning the violence in France, which last night had police at Grigny being shot at, and 800 cars burned in Paris' suburbs, according to Reuters, and a total of 1,408 cars burned throughout France, according to the BBC.

Against this backdrop, some Muslims have been aknowledging that the riots in Paris suburbs are mostly caused by Muslim youth, and now a Fatwa against such rioting has been issued, according to abc.au, CNN, Al Jazeera and Islam OnLine.

The Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF) has quoted the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed to enforce its religious edict. "It is formally forbidden to any Muslim seeking divine grace and satisfaction to participate in any action that blindly hits private or public property or could constitute an attack on someone's life. Contributing to such exactions is an illicit act." reads the fatwa, which according to the CNN report, applies to "to any Muslim living in France, whether a citizen or a guest of France.".

But most French leaders are distrusting of the UOIF, as it has links with the militant Muslim Brotherhood. Ironically the only leader to have welcomed the group, back in 2003, was Nicolas Sarkozy, who is being attacked for causing the riots, a charge levelled at him by the Communists and the Greens, who are politically an irrelevance in French national politics.

Other Imams and Mosques have now made statements, as we reported earlier. The head of UOIF, Dalil Boubakeur, and Imam of the Grand Mosque was received by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Saturday.

Islam OnLine gives the most Islamic appraisal of the edict from the UOIF:

"Under Islam, one cannot get one of his/her rights at the expense of others," stressed the fatwa, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net.

The fatwa cited noble verses that read: "Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. (The Cow:190), "Eat and drink of that which Allah hath provided, and do not act corruptly, making mischief in the earth. (The Cow: 60) and "Lo! Allah loveth not the corrupt." (The Table: 64).

Sheikh Ahmad Jaballah, member of the Fatwa Body, said that the fatwa sends a strong message to the French that these riots are un-Islamic.

"It came to counter allegations by rightists and extremists who maliciously tried to link the arson to French Muslims," he told IOL.

The rioting is now out of control, and though the issuing of a fatwa is a positive move, the anger which has been unleashed over the last 11 days seems now to be threatening the very fabric of French society. One edict will not make any difference now. Only a policy of countering the street wars with a war-like approach - curfews, and making real threats to shoot at rioters, will dissuade the mob.

ITV News in the UK at lunchtime claimed that 30 police have been injured from gunshot wounds last night. The French police carry guns. I cannot believe they appear to be under instructions not to use them against those who shoot at them. Only when the rioters know that their violence will be met with equal violence will the situation subside. Then, and only then, will be the time be right to perform social inquiries and, if necessary, gestures of appeasement to alienated Muslim youth. So far, the government has appeased and prevaricated first, and yet still has not adopted strict measures to counter what is, to all intents and purposes, a war being fought on its streets.

In an update - The seriousness of the situation has now been proved by the death of a man who was beaten by rioters on Friday, in the Tains region of the Seine-Saint Denis department, according to CNN. Jean Jacques le Chenadec, aged 61, had been trying to put out a fire in a trash can, and had been in a coma since his assault. Surely now is the time for some firm action on the part of the French authorities.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 7, 2005 6:35 AM

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