The Representation of Hinduism in Contemporary Fatwas: A Study of Qatar’s Islamweb

In the wake of September 11, 2001 and “the war on terror”, Islamic authority came under intense scrutiny around the globe. In response, Muslim states in the Arabian Gulf made religious pluralism and tolerance some of their top priorities. Gulf States funded interfaith dialogue, participated in initiatives designed to counter the clash of civilizations theory, and developed discourses about Islamic moderation as an antidote to religious extremism and violence. This thesis examines the extent to which these state initiatives impacted on fatwa-giving practices in the Gulf. It focuses specifically on Islamweb, a website affiliated to Qatar’s Ministry of Awqāf, and explores a dimension that is often neglected in these discussions: Hindu-Muslim relations. The thesis analyses the entire corpus of fatwas related to Hinduism issued by Islamweb from its foundation in 1998 until the end of September 2019. According to the information available, Islamweb issued a total of 82 fatwas on Hinduism in both English and Arabic language until the end of September 2019. These 82 Arabic and English fatwas deal with doctrinal, ritual, political, economic and social issues. I show first what Hinduismrelated topics interest petitioners the most. I then examine how Islamweb understands Hinduism and what relations between Muslims and Hindus its muftis deem appropriate. I compare Islamweb’s fatwas to those of other muftis in the Gulf region and the wider Muslim world. I argue that although Qatar has played a leading role in the Gulf in the promotion of tolerance and moderation, Islamweb’s vision is not fully aligned with state policy.