OIC ISLAMIC FIQH ACADEMY SECRETARY GENERAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000348

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, IO, S/SRMC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2019
TAGS: KIRF KISL KWBG KWMN PGOV PHUM PREL SA OIC
SUBJECT: OIC ISLAMIC FIQH ACADEMY SECRETARY GENERAL
DISCUSSES FATWAS ON BANKING, WOMEN, TEST TUBE BABIES,
TERRORISM AND THE PALESTINIANS

JEDDAH 00000348 001.3 OF 002


Classified By: Consul General Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d)

SUMMARY
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1.(C) Dr. Abdulsalaam Al-Abadi, Secretary General of the
Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Academy, an Organization of the
Islamic Conference(OIC)-affiliated institution, provided an
overview of the Academy,s activities and its rulings,
including those related to terrorism and the
Palestinian/Israeli conflict, during August meeting with
Consulate PolOff. It was envisioned that women might
eventually be able to join the Academy's Council while the
President's Cairo speech in June was greeted with "great
interest." Although the Fiqh Academy's ability to
incorporate the views of various Islamic schools of thought
before issuing a ruling has enhanced its reputation and
garnered a degree of respect in the Muslim world, the
political disagreements among OIC member states clearly limit
the institution's ability to address complexities related to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or to condemn acts of terror
by Hamas or Hizbullah. END SUMMARY.
BACKGROUND
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2.(SBU) Fiqh(Islamic Jurisprudence) is the methodology used
by Islamic scholars to derive Islamic law on issues in which
the Quran and Sunnah (Practices of the Prophet) are silent.
Thus, Fiqh compliments Sharia (Islamic Law) with rulings that
evolve as new circumstances and issues arise.
THE ACADEMY'S COMPOSITION
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3.(SBU) In August 25 meeting with Jeddah Poloff, Dr.
Abdulsalaam Al-Abadi, Secretary General of the Islamic Fiqh
(Jurisprudence) Academy, outlined the academy,s origin and
composition. (NOTE: Al-Abadi, Vice President of the Academy
since 2006 and elevated to his current position in February
2008 by OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, holds a
master's, 1967, and doctorate, 1972, from Al Azhar University
Faculty of Sharia and Law in Comparative Jurisprudence. END
NOTE.) Al-Abadi explained that the the idea of the Academy
was first proposed by the late Saudi King Khaled in 1981 in
an effort to address contemporary problems in the Muslim
world. Since its founding meeting in July 1983,
representatives from around the Muslim world, including
scholars from all four Islamic Schools of thought as well as
Shi,a factions of Islam, have participated. A special
planning session of the Academy meets yearly to determine the
agenda for the following year,s session and often works to
incorporate inquiries submitted by Muslim countries,
organizations and institutions.
4.(SBU) Scholars and experts in the fields of economics,
astronomy and medicine are invited to attend the yearly
conference in order to provide guidance on issues. However,
only members of the Academy,s Council have the power to
issue rulings, or fatwas. According to Al-Abadi the Council
is made up of 70 religious scholars from various schools of
thought, all of whom are highly accomplished in the area of
Fiqh. While there are currently no women on the Council,
Al-Abadi said in recent sessions women have participated as
experts. He added that he would not be surprised if some
became members of the council in the near future.
RULINGS/FATWAS
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5.(SBU) Al-Abadi noted that the Council has issued rulings on
a wide range of issues such as artificial insemination, life
support, credit cards, the role of women in society, trading
currency, AIDS, charity, birth control and terrorism. Asked
if the fatwas are followed by member states Al-Abadi said
that &although not legally binding, the Academy,s rulings
are respected and accepted by Islamic nations and
institutions.8 He pointed to Islamic banking as an area in
which the institution depended heavily on Council rulings.

6. SBU)Al-Abadi said that not all issues are resolved during
the session. Whenever the Council is unable to reach a
conclusion on a matter, it simply postpones the ruling until
the next session. For example in the Council,s second
session meeting the issue of test tube babies was raised but
was postponed to allow time &to make a thorough study of the
subject so as to cover all its legal and medical aspects.8
The council subsequently ruled on the matter in the third
session, forbidding artificial insemination involving
unmarried men and women while permitting the process for

JEDDAH 00000348 002.3 OF 002


married couples.
THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT: OBAMA SPEECH
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"GREETED WITH GREAT INTEREST"
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7.(C) Al-Abadi briefly commented on President Obama,s
outreach efforts, saying that the President,s speech was
&greeted with great interest8 and that the Academy has
&studied it in detail.8 &I commend the President for his
goodwill gesture and for articulating the need for dialogue.
This approach should continue on a permanent basis,8 he
said. Asked if the Council had addressed the issue of
terrorism, Al-Abadi indicated that the Council was &very
interested in the matter8 and had issued a detailed decision
on terrorism in the 17th session held in 2006, roundly
condemning it.
8.(C) Al Abadi strongly maintained that the Prophet Muhammad
had established rules for waging just war, which included
never harming innocent civilians. Asked whether in light of
this principle the Council condemned acts of terrorism by
violent Palestinian groups, Al-Abadi did not directly answer
the question, but claimed that acts of terror by Palestinians
were a &sign of desperation by a people who were hopeless
and couldn,t see any solutions.8 He went on to argue that
for this reason the world should first tackle underlying
economic and social problems that Palestinians face.
CALL FOR NEW STRATEGY:
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"MOST INFORMATION COMES FROM ISRAELI SOURCES"
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9.(C) Asked his thoughts on President Obama's call for the
Palestinians to abandon violent resistance, as a strategy
that never succeeds, Al-Abadi said he agreed with the
President and claimed that he and others have urged the
Palestinians to unite and change their strategy. However, he
commented that the realities of the conflict are not properly
appreciated by the world since "most of the information comes
from Israeli sources." For this reason he concluded the USG
should continue its open dialogue with the Muslim world in
order to &bring out the truth.8
COMMENT: THE ACADEMY'S "CONSTRAINTS"
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10.(C) By incorporating the views of scientific and economic
experts and those of scholars from all four Islamic schools
of thought and Shi,a sects, the Islamic Fiqh Academy has
been able to publish thoughtful and deliberative edicts that
appear to carry weight in the Muslim world on issues related
to finance, social rituals and medicine. However, as
Al-Abaidi demonstrated, the Fiqh Academy is unable to address
effectively or objectively concerns related to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the Council has published
strong statements condemning terrorism, the popularity of
groups such as Hamas and Hizbullah in many of the OIC member
states has constrained the degree to which the Council will
work to condemn acts of terrorism perpetrated by these
organizations. END COMMENT.
QUINN