The Political Outrage Made by Jordan (IAF) Party' Fatwa on Jordan Military Deployment under the US-led International Coalition in Afghanistan

Abstract

An Islamic legal judgment (Fatwa) was released by the Central Committee of Islamic Shari’a Scholars at the Islamic Action Front Party (IAFP)-political arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization in Jordan- Sunday 12th December 2010, in Amman banning "military deployment of Arab and Islamic countries in support of the International Coalition Forces led by the United States in Afghanistan". The Fatwa was made by the party after only few days of a cable posted on Wiki leaks site describing Jordan's military support in Afghanistan. The Fatwa incited furious reactions from both government and non-government officials on the basis that the Fatwa alludes to the Jordan Armed Forces and its leaders. This paper seeks to document the Fatwa, the reactions invoked by it and the clarifications made by the Party's leaders about the Fatwa, for what it was made and its significance, adopting the historical epistemology perspective to characterize and analyze this Fatwa.

Keywords: Fatwa, Jordan, IAFP, Afghanistan, JAF, Wiki leaks.