Fatwa envy

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(Nature of the condition: comparison with Holocaust envy)
(Meaning of Fatwa)
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==Meaning of Fatwa==
 
==Meaning of Fatwa==
In Islam, a [[fatwā]] is ''any'' official religious opinion regarding [[Islam]]ic Law issued by a [[Muslim]] scholar, somewhat equivalent to a [[Vatican]] proclamation, but usually with much less "official" authority.
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In Islam, a fatwā is ''any'' official religious opinion regarding [[Islam]]ic [[Sharia]] law issued by a [[Muslim]] scholar, somewhat equivalent to a [[Vatican]] proclamation, but usually with much less "official" authority (as Islam has no central authority, so anyone who studies the Quran and hadiths enough can become a "scholar"-Bin Ladin included).
  
 
Following the [[Salman Rushdie]] affair, however (in which the author of ''The Satanic Verses'' was condemned to death in a fatwā) the term has, in many Western minds, become synonymous with an Islamic death sentence, though that is in fact a rare use of them. Now you know (and knowing is half the battle).
 
Following the [[Salman Rushdie]] affair, however (in which the author of ''The Satanic Verses'' was condemned to death in a fatwā) the term has, in many Western minds, become synonymous with an Islamic death sentence, though that is in fact a rare use of them. Now you know (and knowing is half the battle).

Revision as of 05:49, 26 December 2012

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Fatwa envy is the term used for the phenomenon of people complaining that criticism of their religion or political beliefs is wrong because the criticism would never be directed at Muslims for fear of violence or death[1] (or, in a related argument, because of political correctness). It is widely associated with Poe-like Christians, although more secular wingnuts have also been known to use this argument.

Contents

Nature of the condition

The rants of Fatwa-envy-filled posters generally start angry, upset or frothing at what the person said or did. The screed then turns to how the other religion would not tolerate what was said (almost as if the person ranting wishing he/she or fellow religious brethren would turn to violence or killing). And to complete the rant, the person usually prays for or forgives the person, or explains that he or she will be going to hell if he or she does not repent for alleged sins.

Fatwa envy is full of lulz because the ranter does not understand that a loving and forgiving religious person would not rant in the first place, and forgive and forget any supposed wrongs before sending off an email or posting a reply to a blog or forum.

Plenty of "New Atheists" have indeed criticized Islam just as strongly as Christianity and Judaism, and have legitimate concern for their lives as a result. Additionally, criticism and "blaspheming" of most mainstream religions can and does result in death threats — see the PZ link below for an example with Catholicism. (It could be argued that the Enlightenment alone is all that made Christian Europe into something noticeably more "tolerant" than the Islamic world; within the whole of Christian history, it's astonishingly recent for heresy not to be a capital crime.)

Fatwa envy could be compared to Holocaust envy. However, while fatwa envy expresses a desire to use force, Holocaust envy expresses a desire for compassion.

Meaning of Fatwa

In Islam, a fatwā is any official religious opinion regarding Islamic Sharia law issued by a Muslim scholar, somewhat equivalent to a Vatican proclamation, but usually with much less "official" authority (as Islam has no central authority, so anyone who studies the Quran and hadiths enough can become a "scholar"-Bin Ladin included).

Following the Salman Rushdie affair, however (in which the author of The Satanic Verses was condemned to death in a fatwā) the term has, in many Western minds, become synonymous with an Islamic death sentence, though that is in fact a rare use of them. Now you know (and knowing is half the battle).

The fatwa envy jamboree

Some nice examples of atheists attacking Islam, despite, according to their critics, not having enough courage to attack Islam. Warning: may induce cognitive dissonance.

Richard Dawkins

Christopher Hitchens

Sam Harris

Paul Zachary Myers

See the main article on this topic: Paul Zachary Myers

Pat Condell

See the main article on this topic: Pat Condell

Johann Hari

Maryam Namazie

Taslima Nasrin

See the main article on this topic: Taslima Nasrin

Phil Mason

See the main article on this topic: Thunderf00t

Examples

See also

Footnotes

  1. In reality the Islammic term Fatwa covers a wide range of theological pronouncements and rarely include a death sentence.
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