THE REPRESENTATION OF HINDUISM IN CONTEMPORARY FATWAS: A STUDY OF QATAR’S ISLAMWEB

Abstract

ABSTRACT _x000D_ In the wake of September 11, 2001 and “the war on terror”, Islamic authority came _x000D_ under intense scrutiny around the globe. In response, Muslim states in the Arabian Gulf _x000D_ made religious pluralism and tolerance some of their top priorities. Gulf States funded _x000D_ interfaith dialogue, participated in initiatives designed to counter the clash of _x000D_ civilizations theory, and developed discourses about Islamic moderation as an antidote _x000D_ to religious extremism and violence. This thesis examines the extent to which these _x000D_ state initiatives impacted on fatwa-giving practices in the Gulf. It focuses specifically _x000D_ on Islamweb, a website affiliated to Qatar’s Ministry of Awqāf, and explores a _x000D_ dimension that is often neglected in these discussions: Hindu-Muslim relations. The _x000D_ thesis analyses the entire corpus of fatwas related to Hinduism issued by Islamweb from _x000D_ its foundation in 1998 until the end of September 2019. According to the information _x000D_ available, Islamweb issued a total of 82 fatwas on Hinduism in both English and Arabic _x000D_ language until the end of September 2019. These 82 Arabic and English fatwas deal _x000D_ with doctrinal, ritual, political, economic and social issues. I show first what Hinduism_x000D_ related topics interest petitioners the most. I then examine how Islamweb understands _x000D_ Hinduism and what relations between Muslims and Hindus its muftis deem appropriate. _x000D_ I compare Islamweb’s fatwas to those of other muftis in the Gulf region and the wider _x000D_ Muslim world. I argue that although Qatar has played a leading role in the Gulf in the _x000D_ promotion of tolerance and moderation, Islamweb’s vision is not fully aligned with _x000D_ state policy.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Islamic Studies