The issue of ulema being from the west or not is quite irrelevent because facebook is a global tool that is not specific to England or America. The fatwa is aimed at all people.
It actually is very relevant. Facebook is a global tool, but the people that use it are not global, i.e. a person that's using it in America is American and not like someone from across the globe. He doesn't have the same lifestyle, upbringing, society, norms, culture, etc as someone from somewhere else.
When you give a fatwa, you give it to the people, regardless of whether its being given about something that is a global phenomenon - the people using it are very specific to their place and time.
So when you tell someone in Saudi that facebook is Haram, cool, that would work because the society there is way more conservative than someone who's living in the West. And that's exactly why a fatwa that might work there should not be given to an individual that lives somewhere else. A fatwa changes according to many variables such as time, place, the individual in question, the cultural norms of a society etc.
Tying this back to facebook - the issue that I have a problem with is telling youth that live in the West, where the internet and social media is a part and parcel of
who they are - to stop using that very social media that is part of their identity - that won't work. We can sit here and discuss all day about whether the Ulema are right or wrong, or whether this fatwa or that fatwa is ok, but the reality is that the situation on a societal level by far won't take someone that tells them facebook is haram seriously.
Therefore, the question itself changes. When something is part of the lifestyle of a large mass of people, something that in and of itself isnt haram in the first place - declaring it haram won't make any difference in the number of people that use it.
Do we have different standards for what people in the west and the east can achieve in terms of taqwa? Why is it okay for non-westerners but for westerners, we have to make things easy for?
i) It's not about taqwa, because if it were the implication would be that anyone that uses facebook lacks taqwa & ii) yes we do have different standards and different approaches for people that live in different lands.
The nature of fatawa itself is that it changes according to time and place. As long as the Usool are not being violated, there is room for changing of rulings according to time, place and situation.
As for your question as to why is it ok to have different standards for westerners and non-westerners, then the answer is in the question itself. Westerners are not like non-westerners. The society is different, the culture is different, the lifestyle itself is completely different. Therefore, they need a fiqh that works for them in their situation. We're not talking about making violating the fundamentals of Islaam, but that which is known as furoo' there is ample room for difference.
This doesn't work for me. There has to be a black and white standard between what is and is not acceptable according to the deen, not according to what school kids are willing to accept. There was life before facebook and there will be life after. One could also argue, 'since kids will hang around with the opposite gender anyway, why don't we come up with deen focused things they could do together, e.g. sing nasheeds together'. The fact that you bring deen into it, doesn't make mixing acceptable.
Fiqh itself is not black and white, so if we're going to hold off for a standard that clearly separates between everything acceptable and not acceptable, we're never going to get there.
See for me, the issue is not just whether someone is saying it's haram or not, the issue for me is whether this individual is being socially aware and relevant before issuing a fatwa - and anyone that tells me that facebook is haram is not being socially relevant or aware because he is not taking into account a variety of factors such as the ones Ive mentioned before - 1) The fact that it is part and parcel of today's society, 2) That the vast majority of people that use the internet do use facebook.
It's like saying you can't have a cellphone because of potential haraam way you can use it. It's like saying you can't use texting because of who you might text. It really makes no sense.
If Muslims in the West are to become integrated as a contributing part of the society, they can't go around demonizing and brandishing the haram card on anything that can remotely land a person in fitnah. We might as well tell all the Muslims to go live in the East because when you walk outside in the West you're bound to see a lady in a miniskirt. That's the implication being made.
I respect what you say here but personally, this approach is too far bending the deen.
Is asking for something that is socially relevant and practically applicable 'bending the deen'? I don't think so.
Of course, I agree that one would sin regardless of facebook being present. The issue however is that we are all weak. No matter how strong one thinks he is, he will inevitably slip up. I can tell you horror stories of supposed hafiz guys seducing girls online. Kids online today go on facebook for a variety of reasons and at least one point in time they will have pondered the idea of chatting to someone of the opposite sex. Many will have given into it and done so. This is undeniable. Usually, people may have very innocent intentions but it is very easy to be misled. So any such fatwa saying facebook is not allowed, I would welcome on the basis that it would prevent at least one person from becoming corrupted.
If we were to apply the same reasoning as this across the board then there should be fatwa issued that declare the internet as a whole, haraam. This forum should also be haram because there are brothers and sisters taking part in it together. A person is not automatically more religious because he doesn't use facebook.
Do you see why at the end of the day this logic won't work? The phenomenon is way too widespread to tell the millions of Muslims using it to get off because it's haraam. It's impossible and won't happen. It's like the famous hijrah from the West fatwa - it won't work on the millions of people. And Allaah does not obligate something that is impossible.
Once we understand and accept this fact, then we can instead of discussing this moot issue, come up with ways to turn facebook and other social media tools into positive influences. Burying our head to the fact that reality is that millions of Muslims already use it and will not stop using it won't do us any good.
i. Those that already respect ulema will listen. If not, at least their parents/siblings may take appropriate measures to ensure at the very least that there is no haraam going on. I.e. such fatwas will give people cause for concern.
Again you're speaking in ideals akhi. I respect the Ulema, but it's not like I'm going to stop using facebook because of a fatwa they gave, because i) I know what I use it for, ii) it's not wajib upon me to leave it, it's wajib upon me to stay away from the clear haram.
Secondly, we're not talking about those that 'respect' the Ulema, we're talking about the millions that are regular kids trying to be good Muslims where facebook is part of their lives like the telephone is.
Thirdly, there is a difference between blindly respective of the Ulema and being critically respective. Muslims need to learn to think for themselves and not take everything hook line and sinker. This isn't a criticism against our Ulema, but what it is Muslims being able to think for themselves and analyze their reality and societal existence and understand when a fatwa is practically applicable or practically inapplicable.
ii. a. What might their real problem be? b. as pointed out above, a person might not have any such problem and start off with innocent intentions, yet is very likely to get corrupted, especially if it's a young person with hormones and sex/marriage in mind. Log on one time, see a sister's profile somehow and seek refuge in Allah. See that same sister again the next time and he decides to find out more about her. Etc etc. We all know how things build up. It's the large scale desensitation that happens.
What's the difference between that and seeing a sister on the college campus, lowering your gaze the first time and then the second time asking her if she needs any help in class politely? I don't see any difference.
The reality is the same, the medium is different. Let's address the reality and not the medium because the mediums change.
I don't think that is the case. This is the typical bearded mullah wil say 'everything is evil' mentality you're speaking about. I'm sure they have more hikmah than you assume.
I'm sure they do. I'm just asking for them to give a fatwa that takes into account the society, time and place before they declare something haraam.
For every one person that's guided by the dawah on facebook, I would assume there are at least 5 or 6 people that are misguided and have commited some level of sin (weakest being lusting on random pics). So for the greater good, I would say such fatwas are wise.
I'd say the same for real life. For every person that's guided by the dawah, there are atleast 5 or 6 others that go astray on campus, at the very least checking out some girl. So would you say, for the
greater good, we issue a fatwa that makes college campuses haraam?
Do you see the inconsistency?
What I meant was, facebook is the best medium out there for people to meet others for the sake of haraam.
Definitely not. A college campus, dorm rooms are way worse. It's so easy to hook up with someone on campus - just go to any dorm room where there's a party going on.
This I disagree with. Even I know this is easily possible in facebook. Find one person who has friends on display to the public and request and add, simple.
That is, only if the other person accepts that request right? Most people don't.
Disagree again. There might be some exceptions but I guarantee you, the majority are EASILY duped.
I disagree - we have a problem of underestimating our practicing sisters way too much.
