What is a fatwa?

A fatwa is an opinion delivered by a learned scholar versed in Koran and Hadith, or the sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad, on a specific issue. However, it is not an edict or a law, and Muslims are not bound to follow it.

"Fatwa is a religious opinion coming from a scholar, who is qualified to give an opinion on a matter," Jamal Badawi, professor of religious studies at St. Mary's University in Halifax, N.S, told CBC News. "It is like any law, people can choose to follow it or disobey it — just a moral authority."

Why are fatwas issued? What purpose do they serve?

A fatwa could be issued on any matter, says Badawi, from a difficult problem of law to an everyday issue. "It could be fatwa on how to pray, what kind of charity that you should pay, how to fast," he says. And, some fatwas are prompted by current events, says Badawi.

"When there are events of that magnitude that affect a larger number of people, this sometimes is a good justification for an Islamic scholar or council of scholars to come forward in order to remove any misunderstanding, and misconception," he says.

Fatwas serve two purposes, according to Badawi, who is also a member of the European Council of Fatwa and Research. He says fatwas bring awareness about an issue and "clarify the true image image of Islam in the minds of the public."

Although fatwas are not law, Muslims may follow them, depending on their comfort level, says freelance journalist Zuhair Kashmeri.

Hundreds of thousands of fatwas have been produced, and continue to this day, says Linda Clark, a professor of Islam at Concordia University in Montreal and a board member of the Lebanese Islamic Centre in Montreal.

"People are continually asking their scholars for fatwas," she says.

"There is a constant stream of fatwas, including a stream to North America to guide the people here." Muslims are also compelled to accept them, says Clark, if they follow the particular cleric who issued it.

Sayed Nabil Abbas reads a fatwa at a Montreal news conference on behalf of Iraq's top Shia cleric, June 14, 2006. (CBC)

What are some fatwas that have been issued?

Fatwas were first brought to Western consciousness when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran called for the "execution" of author Salman Rushdie in 1989. The fatwa was issued in response to Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, a critical look at Islam, which some Muslims considered to be blasphemous.

In February 1998, Osama bin Laden issued a joint fatwa along with the Islamic Group, Al Jihad, the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh and the Jamaat ul Ulema e Pakistan. Under the name "World Islamic Front," it called for all Muslims to kill Americans and their allies, military or civilian, "in any country in which it is possible to do it."

On March 12, 2005, a fatwa was issued by the Islamic Commission of Spain against Osama Bin Laden. It was issued on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people and injured 1,400. The fatwa said, "The terrorist acts of Osama bin Laden and his organization al-Qaeda … are totally banned and must be roundly condemned as part of Islam."

On June 13, 2006 a fatwa was issued by Ayatollah al-Sistani, the most senior Shia cleric in Iraq. The statement was issued 11 days after 17 Muslims were arrested in connection with an alleged bomb plot targeting Canadian landmarks and beheading Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Sayed Nabil Abbas read the fatwa, which urged Muslims to obey the laws of the country in which they live, on al-Sistani's behalf at a press conference in Montreal,.