Debate has intensified over whether AI-generated fatwas can offer spiritual legitimacy or if growing technological interventions risk displacing the human authority of religious experts. On 17 July 2025, The Arab Weekly reported that Egypt’s traditional religious institutions, especially Al-Azhar and its scholars, feel mounting pressure as artificial intelligence enters the domain of Islamic legal rulings. The article begins:
Some warn that the growing reliance on AI may erode the sanctity of religious institutions. But others see it as a necessary wake-up call. Religious scholars in Egypt, especially those at Al-Azhar and the Dar al-Ifta, have expressed concern about the proliferation of online, AI-driven fatwa platforms. These platforms can provide answers instantly, bypassing the traditional consultative and deliberative process led by qualified muftis. While proponents argue that AI can help democratize access to religious guidance, critics caution that the technology lacks the nuanced judgment and contextual understanding essential in Islamic jurisprudence. The risk, they argue, is not just technical error but the broader undermining of religious authority that has served as a stabilizing force in Egyptian public life for centuries.
Read more: https://thearabweekly.com/ai-fatwas-threaten-undermine-egypts-clerical-authority
Key Points
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AI fatwas threaten Egypt clerical authority by providing instant rulings, bypassing traditional institutions and religious scholars.
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Al-Azhar and Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta have voiced concern over losing influence to AI-driven platforms that lack the expertise and contextual understanding of trained muftis.
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Supporters argue that AI democratizes religious knowledge, but critics fear it could destabilize Egypt’s religious landscape and lead to inconsistent guidance.
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The debate highlights broader tensions between tradition and technology, with Egypt’s religious establishment seeking ways to adapt without sacrificing legitimacy.
How the Global Muslim Brotherhood Issues Religious Rulings
Al-Azhar University occupies a unique position as a longstanding authority in issuing fatwas that influence Islamic practice globally. It has traditionally shaped doctrinal discourse and set religious norms at both national and international levels. However, its centralizing influence is contested by critics who argue that it can marginalize local traditions and suppress dissenting interpretations of Islamic law.
In contrast, Islamist actors connected to the Global Muslim Brotherhood (GMB) network have developed alternative mechanisms for issuing religious rulings—both through traditional organizational structures and increasingly via digital platforms.
The Brotherhood’s fatwas often blend religious reasoning with political objectives. These rulings are frequently employed to justify the movement’s positions—ranging from support for political Islam in post-revolutionary Egypt to orchestrated responses against perceived insults to Islam. Fatwas are also used to legitimize Brotherhood leadership and expand its influence among Muslim communities worldwide
One key player is the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which functions as a transnational hub linking ideologically aligned clerics across countries. Through coordinated meetings and high-profile delegations—such as engagements with the Taliban in Afghanistan and summits with GMB leadership in Qatar—the IUMS attempts to shape consensus on religious and political issues. In April 2021, the IUMS called on the French government to stop interfering with the “privacy of Islam,” rejecting a new French Charter of Republican Values aiming to curtail foreign influence over Muslim groups and mosques.
In May 2022, a conference took place in Sarajevo, where leading European scholars and clericsaffiliated with the GMB launched a new initiative: the European Council for the Holy Quran (ECHQ), designed to coordinate Qur’anic institutions across 15 European countries.
To further amplify their reach, Brotherhood-affiliated groups have turned to digital tools. The 2019 launch of the Euro Fatwa App by the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR)—an institution linked to the late GMB ideologue Youssef Qaradawi—illustrates how digital platforms are being used to sidestep traditional religious authorities. These apps embed ideological perspectives within automated services that appear religiously authoritative, allowing the GMB to scale its influence and present its interpretations as credible, mainstream Islamic jurisprudence.
This strategy has not gone unnoticed. Mainstream institutions like Al-Azhar have issued fatwas prohibiting membership in the Brotherhood, accusing it of distorting religious doctrine and undermining legitimate authority.
External references:
- Here’s What to Know About the Muslim Brotherhood, Which … – The New York Times
- No ‘Happy Easter’: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Bizarre Religious Intolerance – The Atlantic
- Al-Azhar decrees prohibition of joining Muslim Brotherhood – Arab News
- The Al-Azhar University: A Historical Sketch
- Al-Azhar And Her? How A Fatwa On Gender And Inheritance Threatens The Powerful Islamic Authority
- Die dubiose Fatwa-App, mit der Apple und Google kein Problem haben
Disclaimer:
The Global Influence Operations Report (GIOR) employs AI throughout the posting process, including generating summaries of news items, the introduction, key points, and often the “context” section. We recommend verifying all information before use. Additionally, images are AI-generated and intended solely for illustrative purposes. While they represent the events or individuals discussed, they should not be interpreted as real-world photography.
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