Clerics offering religious edicts in Cairo metro stir debate
CAIRO — Reda el-Sebaay was taking the subway while on a short business trip to Cairo from a Nile Delta city when he stumbled upon clerics offering religious advice or fatwas — answers to any question a Muslim follower might have.
The 45-year-old civil servant had been pre-occupied for weeks about how he and his sisters would settle their inheritance. He wanted it to be fair and act according to Muslim teachings but he didn’t want to have to call a religious hotline and wait endlessly for an answer.
Now he lined up behind a handful of people standing in front of a booth set up at one of the main Cairo subway stations — and 10 minutes later he got his answer.
Fatwas are religious edicts or pronouncements, often on major issues related to Islamic teachings. But they also provide guidance on matters of everyday life, including starting up a grocery store or any other private business, who to marry and whether it is permissible under Islam to accept banks’ interest rates.