ABSTRACT
This chapter acknowledges that Islam is not a homogeneous tradition but incorporates varieties of interpretations from reformist ones which consider the Quran solely as a source of inspiration, to radical ones which believe in a literal interpretation of the text. It explains that within various sects of Islam, interpretations conflict with each other and are the subject of theological debate. The chapter focuses on the dominant understanding of Islam within theological centres and the Iranian state in which the clergy are considered the most prominent and trustworthy interpreters of sharia due to their many years of jurisprudential study. In Iran, the official Fars News Agency published the fatwa, and announced the formation of an execute Shahin Najafi' campaign. The case of Najafi is reminiscent of Ayatollah Khomeini's death fatwa against Salman Rushdie in the 1980s. Responses of various Sunni and Shi'a clergy to Khomeini's fatwa demonstrated how broadly this unity spreads across various sects of Islam.
