A fatwā (Arabic: فتوى‎; plural fatāwā Arabic: فتاوى‎), in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwa is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be binding, depending on the status of the scholar. Western media frequently uses the term incorrectly to specifically mean an Islamic law pronouncing a death sentence upon someone who is considered an infidel or a blasphemer, whereas the term's correct definition is significantly broader.[1] Fatwā cover social and political issues and jihad. If a fatwā does not break new ground, then it is simply called a ruling.[2]


Iran is a Shi'ite country, and this fatwa was endorsed by the entire community of scholars in Qom, which means that this condemnation of the current government and regime as anathema is, in fact, binding.

This Friday, the Ayatollah Rafsanjani is leading the Friday Prayers for the first time since the election. He will be joined by Mousavi and the Sea of Green as a whole. The fact that they feel safe enough to appear in public this way says a great deal about the widening rift in the government and the increasing support of the clerics.

This is the build up to July 30, which is the Day of the Martyrs in the 40 day mourning cycle of Islam. That is the day when we see how much control Khameni and company still have. When the country comes out in force to mourn the death of Neda and the other protesters murdered by the regime, we will see how strong the forces for reform and freedom truly are.



http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD243909
http://tehranbureau.com/grand-ayatollah-montazeris-fatwa/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/world/asia/12iran.html