Examining Internetfatwa Sites

Hussin Iza has published Where is the Local Online? Internet Fatwa and the Making of New Muslim Spaces. Here is the abstract.

This paper is an exploration of a new domain of Islamic law: internetfatwa sites, to which millions of Muslims now write seeking juridical opinionson all facets of their lives. Each site is hosted in one place but is capable ofbeing accessed by Muslims worldwide; each allows almost complete anonymity butoffers a large audience; each refers to geographically-bound schools of Islamiclaw but extends far beyond their reach. How is authority made, maintained andchallenged here? Do these sites represent a new space of law for Muslims? Whatare the local politics of these transglobal spaces?

Download the paper from SSRN at the link.