fatwa

fatwa
fatwa
A fatwa (from Arabic fatā ‘to instruct by a legal decision’) is a legal ruling given by an Islamic religious leader. It came dramatically to western attention in 1989 when by such a ruling Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini called for the death of the writer Salman Rushdie for publishing The Satanic Verses (1988), which many Muslims considered blasphemous. (The ruling was effectively withdrawn by 1998.) Fatwa is already undergoing extensions of meaning, and is erroneously used to mean ‘sentence of death’ (which, in the case of Rushdie, it meant only in effect). The plural in English contexts is fatwas, and the use of a verb form is also recorded:

• Unlike many writers and artists, Chahine hadn't been fatwaed, but he felt threatened nevertheless —New Yorker, 1995.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • fatwa — fatwa …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Fatwā — Fatwa Religion religions abrahamiques : judaïsme · christianisme · islam Ce …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • fatwa — UK [ˈfætwə] / US or fatwah UK / US noun [countable] Word forms fatwa : singular fatwa plural fatwas an official order by a Muslim religious leader …   English dictionary

  • fatwa — International, USA An opinion, ruling or pronouncement on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar or Sharia Committee. A fatwa must be issued for an Islamic finance product or service to be considered Sharia compliant. Practical Law Dictionary.… …   Law dictionary

  • fatwa — fat wa, fatwah fat wah, n. Same as {fetwah}. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fatwa — (n.) 1620s, from Arabic fetwa a decision given by a mufti, related to fata to instruct by a legal decision. Popularized 1989 when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a ruling sentencing author Salman Rushdie to death for publishing The Satanic… …   Etymology dictionary

  • fatwa — ► NOUN ▪ an authoritative ruling on a point of Islamic law. ORIGIN from Arabic, decide a point of law …   English terms dictionary

  • fatwa — [fät′wä] n. [Ar] 1. Islam a religious and legal decree or edict issued by a council of religious leaders 2. loosely a death sentence imposed through, or as through, such a decree …   English World dictionary

  • Fatwā — otheruses4|the Arabic language word|the 2006 film|Fatwa (film)A fatwā ( ar. فتوى; plural fatāwā ar. فتاوى), in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwa is non binding, whereas… …   Wikipedia

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