Egypt's Dar al-Ifta: Death Penalties are Not Politically Motivated

Arab World

December 27th, 10:51am

Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat

The High Court of Justice in Cairo. (Reuters)

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta stressed that death penalties are not politically motivated, stressing that verdicts are not dictated by the identities of affiliations of the suspects. Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam said Dar al-Ifta’s role is advisory in capital cases, where it studies them in full to determine whether the death penalty is applicable in line with Islamic law. He stressed that Dar al-Ifta plays no role in investigations. He said that Islamic jurisprudence says human rights stem from a divine source that precedes all international agreements. There is no compulsion in Islam, asserted the Mufti. He explained that the philosophy on which human rights are based is a major aspect of Islam and focuses on the five pillars that lead to human dignity, decent living and controlled freedom. Dar al-Ifta’s statement was a response to attempts to exploit the death penalty against suspects found guilty of terrorism in order to tarnish Egypt’s image before the international community. The Egyptian law stipulates that the death penalty is applied according to strict regulations, in certain cases and after a fair investigation is held, noted the statement. Allam stressed that the rule of law should prevail in society, noting that the idea of public order in the state is legal and applied in western and eastern countries, meaning there are limits that must be preserved to protect society.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2706376/egypts-dar-al-ifta-death-penalties-are-not-politically-motivated