|
I was just reading about that fatwa in an interview with Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis. Not much is formally published in Iran, but a mujtahid is supposed to be the sole issuer of fatawas (plural of fatwa), in which case it is both a religious and legal pronouncement.
On the other hand, Bin Laden issued what he called a fatwa of war on America and he's no kind of mujtahid.
I think the question of how we should feel about it rests on if we consider Iran a rogue state, not accountable to its own hig religious leaders. I don't think it is. It's surely not a friendly state to Americans, but I don't think the government is now free-lancing out from under legal fatawas.
__________________
I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet
|