KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has suggested that Islamic edicts, or fatwas, should be reviewed to ensure they suit the present times.
Some fatwas were decreed hundreds of years ago and are still being upheld.
Badawi said a review was necessary to allow Muslims to be more dynamic and capable of achieving progress without being tied to views that are not suitable in the present era, the national Bernama news agency reported Thursday.
"We are not saying that the fatwa is wrong, because the fatwa was correct during its era, the time when the fatwa was decreed. But whether it's correct or not at the present time, this we should consider," he told the media after delivering the keynote address at the International Conference on Islam and the Muslims in the 21st Century: Image and Reality, in Kuala Lumpur.
Abdullah said Muslims must seek the opinion of the religious scholars, or ulama, in reviewing the fatwas, and must take into consideration the current situation and problems faced by Muslims in the modern era.
Asked which fatwas should be reviewed, he said they could touch on many issues particularly in the fields of science and medicine.
