Spotlight on Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt
October 5, 2009
H.E Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the current Grand Mufti of Egypt, is one of the world’s preeminent scholars of Islamic Law. He presides over the Dar Al Ifta, Egypt’s supreme body for Islamic legal edicts, advising Muslims on how to abide by their faith in an enlightened manner in constantly changing circumstances on a whole spectrum of issues. Most recently, Dr. Gomaa has overseen the issuing of fatwas banning violence against women and the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Dr. Gomaa has brought issuing fatwas into the 21st century by establishing a modern institution with a fatwa council and a system of checks and balances. His office issues thousands of fatwas a day, ranging from the important ones he composes himself to the routine ones managed via phone and internet by his assistants.
An established author, he has composed more than fifty works about both Islamic legal methodology and contemporary issues. US News and World Report’s Jay Tolson called him “one of the most widely respected jurists in the Sunni Muslim World,” and the New Yorker dubbed him “the cleric the West longs for” because he promotes moderate Islam, is an advocate of gender equality and is of the opinion that government and theocracy need not be intertwined.
On the occasion of President Obama's landmark speech to the Muslim World from Cairo last June, Dar Al-Ifta issued a document entitled "Our Faith," explaining the basic tenents of Islam. The document can be read here.
Dr. Gomaa will be visiting the United States for a meeting of the Common Word, a global initiative led by the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and hosted by Georgetown University to explore and promote the common ground between two great faiths: Christianity and Islam, and their shared commitment to the love of God and neighbor. In Washington, D.C., Dr. Gomaa will also co-chair, with the Anglican Bishop of London the Rt Revd and Rt Hon. Richard Chartres, the C-1 World Dialogue: Improving Relations Between the Muslim and Western Worlds. The Grand Mufti be speaking on the challenge of extremism and moderation, at an event sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) on October 7th.
For more information on the Grand Mufti, please visit his English Web site: http://www.aligomaa.net/index.html