Lawmakers in the Jordanian Parliament have approved a measure that would only allow a state-appointed council to issue fatwas, a move aimed at denying Islamic hard-liners a forum for disseminating extremist ideology. The proposal on fatwas follows a pledge by King Abdullah II in the wake of terror recent attacks to tighten legislation to prevent radical viewpoints from taking root.
Currently, the powerful Muslim Brotherhood movement and other smaller hard-line Islamic groups issue fatwas, but that would have to end under this new law. The legislation also makes it illegal to criticize fatwas issued by a government-appointed council, whose members have yet to be named but will likely include top Muslim clerics and scholars.
In the last month, Jordanian legislators gave the state the authority to approve mosque preachers, enabling it to keep Muslim extremists from using pulpits to spread extremist ideas. They also approved anti-terrorism legislation that imposes severe penalties for involvement in terror acts.
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