Works of Fatwa Council resume after appointment of new members

The President’s Office, on Thursday, revealed that works of the Supreme Council for Fatwa in the Maldives have resumed following the appointment of new members to the council.

During a press conference at the President’s Office on Thursday – Spokesperson Miuvaan Mohamed initially said efforts were underway to make new appointments to the Fatwa Council which will be accomplished at the earliest. 

He later retracted his earlier remarks, citing it to be a mistake, going on to state that four new members have been appointed to Fatwa Council following which the council’s works have resumed. However, he gave no further details on the matter including the names of the members who have been appointed.

Many sought an opinion from the Fatwa Council regarding yoga, following the mob attack on International Day of Yoga celebrations held at National Stadium on June 21, 2022. Although, at that time, Fatwa Council was vacant, as no new appointments were made at the expiration of the term of then-sitting members.

The only incumbent member whose term has not expired was the council’s President Dr. Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim.

The government previously attributed the delays in appointing new members to the Fatwa Council as the council’s work had been moved under Fiqh Academy.

The Supreme Council for Fatwa in the Maldives was established to replace the Fiqh Academy run under Islamic Ministry in 2016, during former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyom’s administration by the second amendment to the Religious Unity Act.