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Prominent Shiite and Sunni religious scholars from Iraq took the first major step in decades towards mutual recognition at a historic meeting in Makkah last fortnight.


In a joint declaration, signed at Al-Safa Palace overlooking the holy Kaaba, the religious scholars called for a complete end to the sectarian killings in Iraq that have recently assumed horrific proportions.


Meeting under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, the Shiite and Sunni scholars called on Iraqis in unambiguous terms to stand united in protecting the indepen-dence, unity and territorial integrity of their country. “This is necessary,” they said, “in order to put an end to the (foreign) occupation and restore and reinstate Iraq’s Arab-Islamic role.”


The declaration produced by the scholars contains a ruling which clearly forbids Shiites and Sunnis from killing each other. Essentially a fatwa, the ruling is based on eight key points. The most important is: “The Muslim is he who professes his faith by proclaiming ‘La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah’ (There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet). By this state-ment, the Muslim embra-ces and accepts the five pillars of Islam and the central tenets of its faith, thus rendering his blood and property inviolable.” “These fundamental principles,” the declaration said, “apply equally to the Sunni and the Shiite without exception. The differences between the two schools of thought are merely differences of opinion and interpretation and not essential differences of faith.”


The declaration states that no follower of either school may expel or declare another an unbeliever or in any other way cast aspersions on the faith of a follower of a different school. The declaration reiterates that all houses of worship are sacrosanct, including mosques and non-Muslim houses of worship of all faiths and religions. “Therefore,” the declaration states that, “these places of worship may not be attacked, appropriated, or in any other way used as a haven to perpetrate acts in contravention of Shariah.”


The declaration rules that certain things and principles should never be forfeited, including, in particular, unity, cohesion, cooperation and solidarity in piety and righteousness. “It is incumbent upon all Muslims to adopt caution and vigilance against all attempts to sow division among them, break their ranks, or incite sedition, strife, and hatred in order to corrupt their divine and spiritual bonds with each other.”


The scholars appealed to all Muslim scholars to support the ruling and urged the Muslims of Iraq to adhere to it. “We pray to Almighty God, on this sacred soil and blessed grounds, to protect and preserve the faith of all Muslims, ensure the safety of our homeland, and bring the Arab-Muslim country of Iraq out of its plight, end its trials and tribulations, and reinstate Iraq as a fortress and pillar of the Muslim Ummah in the face of its enemies.”


Prominent among the 28 signatories of the declaration are Sheikh Ahmad Abdul Ghafour Al-Samarai, Sheikh Jalaludeen Al-Saghir, Sheikh Dr. Salah Abdul Razaq, Sheikh Abdul Satar Abdul Jabbar Abbas, Sheikh Dr. Mahmoud Al-Samidai, Syed Muhammad Al-Haideri and Sheikh Dr. Syed Muhammad Bahar Al-Uloom. The signing was witnessed by Sheikh Muhammad Habib Ben El-Khoja, secretary-general of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Taskhiri, a member of the academy, and Dr. Muhammad Salim El-Awa, adviser to the OIC secretary-general.


The declaration has received full approval and endorsement from key Shiite and Sunni leadership, most notably from Sheikh Muhammad Syed Tantawi, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Adnan Al-Dulaimi and Sheikh Salah Al-Deen Kuftaro.


The key person behind the Shiite-Sunni reconciliation initiative was OIC Secretary-General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. “Today is one of God’s blessed and historic days,” he said after the declaration had been signed.


“It is a day when eminent and benevolent Muslim scholars have strived to reach an agreement to stem the bloodshed in Iraq, to stop the killing of innocent Iraqis and to end the suffering of our Iraqi brethren,” Ihsanoglu said.

In a new trend thought to be the first in Saudi Arabia, religious scholars are making their phone hot lines available to the wider public in order to respond to religious queries over the phone. According to a report in Asharq Al-Awsat, for a small fee, members of the public can ring Islamic hot lines and ask sheikhs across the length and breadth of the Kingdom religious questions. However, certain sections of the community have viewed the new move with skepticism.


Sheikh Ahmad Abdul-Aal, who is an imam at a mosque in Jeddah, said: “We are present at mosques day and night. Our phone numbers are available to everyone. People seeking knowledge don’t hesitate to frequent the mosque at any time of the day. We only seek reward from Allah and we aim to provide a service to people like the elderly, the sick and women, whose personal circumstances prevent them from visiting scholars. There are lots of people who want to ask questions in private.”


Sheikh Abdul-Aal said that those who can afford it would pay the fees and that money gained would go towards helping those in need. The sheikh added that there was no legal and Shariah law that prevents scholars from obtaining a fee in return for fatwa consultation. He also pointed out that scholars were allowed to accept a fee in return for jobs such as teaching Quran or giving religious lectures and seminars.


Communication companies are now offering cellular services through a new service called “Al-Hatef Al-Islami” (Islamic Phone), a system in which callers pay for fatwa services. The project is conducted through a hot line number that is given to Muslim scholars through the Communication Association. Scholars will use the number services on the condition that the Communications Association will take half of the call’s cost with the other half going to the sheikh answering the query.