Facebook fatwa in Iran

Not an official fatwa, but close enough to where the ruling is considered a decree.  Senior cleric Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi-Golpaygani made his ruling after being asked whether Facebook conformed to Islamic norms.  Now with this decree, I wonder how many of the 17 million Iranians are willingly going to five up their accounts.  Not only that, but many jihadists, Islamists and clerics of all stripes use Facebook to connect with their flocks.  So does Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and most other jihadist groups across the globe.  


To Iran I say good luck with your endeavor, let us know how that works out for you.


From Haaretz January 7

Iranian cleric calls Facebook 'un-Islamic', membership a 'sin' 

An Iranian ayatollah has said that the social networking service Facebook was un-Islamic and being a member of it a sin, the ISNA news agency reported Saturday.

In Iran, it is common for senior clerics to be asked about their stance on certain social issues and whether these issues are compatible with Islamic norms.

Their answers are regarded as a form of decree.

ISNA on Saturday broadcast coverage of the response of Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi-Golpaygani, a senior cleric, to the question about Facebook and Iranian membership in the social networking service.

"Basically, going to any website which propagates immoralities and could weaken the religious belief is un-Islamic and not allowed, and membership in it is therefore haram (a sin)," the ayatollah replied.

"Only the use of websites propagating religious criteria and not leading to any kind of ethical immoralities is of no problem," he added.

According to official figures released last October, 17 million Iranians have a Facebook account, despite heavy restrictions and filtering imposed by the government.

With the coming of Iran's intranet things will only get worse.

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