ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the working of the European Council for Fatwa and Research and its attempt to serve Muslims in Europe by guidance in matters of Islamic Law in the form of fatwas. Among Muslims in Western Europe the position of women is subject to an intense debate and women's questions play a central role regarding Islamic identity. The Muslim religious scholars, who are giving fatwas, have a privileged position within the Islamic legal tradition. The European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) was established in London in 1997 to serve Muslims in Europe, on the initiative of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE). The legal heritage for the fatwa activity in the Council as well as the importance given to women's issues can be traced back to Cairo, harking back to the end of the nineteenth century. Muhammad al-Ghazali criticized traditional scholars who insisted on a literal interpretation of hadith.
