A fatwa against female genital mutilation (FGM) “in all its forms” has been issued by Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, head imam of the Islamic Centre of Ireland at Blanchardstown in west Dublin, making it “religiously impermissible (haram) and sinful.”
The fatwa calls “on all Muslims to speak against this practice, stop it if they are aware of its occurrence, and report any knowledge of it to the authorities”.
A fatwa, Shaykh Al-Qadri explained, “is a religious opinion by an Islamic scholar” and its effect depends on “the influence of the religious scholar or the institute that he is affiliated to.”