Biometric passport: “The fatwa or religious decree of Cheikh Ali Ferkous”

Muslim religious scholar, Cheikh Ali Ferkous, has at last broken the silence and has given his opinion on the veil and beard issue in the issuing of biometric documents.  

• The Cheikh has posted on his website a letter entitled: “A recommendation by Cheikh Mohamed Ali Ferkous and his website administration to the decision – makers on the administrative measures related to the biometric passport and identity card”.
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• To start with, Cheikh Ali Ferkous said that his initiative was designed to dispel any ambiguity and to enlighten the authorities and the wise men on the issue of the wearing or not of the veil for the taking of biometric photographs.
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• The Cheikh said he wanted to remind them of the responsibility devolved upon them, to show them the mistakes and the transgressions they commit and to prompt them to follow the right path as he put it.
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• In his fatwa or religious decree, Cheikh Ali Ferkous recalled the commandments of God Almighty contained in the holy Koran as well as the honorable Sunna of the holy prophet Mohamed, God’s peace and blessings be upon him.
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• He underlined in this respect the imperious necessity of conforming to Islam by citing verse 208 of the Sourate (chapter) El Baqara and verse 132 of Sourate (chapter) of Al Imran.
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• The Islamic charia insists on the necessity of restoring truth and showing the right path to men and women, he said.
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• The letter says that Cheikh Ferkous and his website administration understand perfectly the advisability of these new measures related to biometric documents which are meant as a means to consolidate security and to reinforce the fight against crime and corruption.
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• However, the authors of the letter argue that they don’t share the authorities’ decision to impose for the biometric photograph, the trimming of the men’s beard and the taking off of the women’s veil so that their ears should be visible, and thereby a part of their heads.
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• Other verses of the holy Koran are cited here, notably Sourate (chapter) Al Ahzab (59) and Sourate (chapter) Ennour (31).
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• According to Cheikh Ali Ferkous, the veil and the beard prevent in no way the determining of the contours of the face on the photographs, as well as the identification and the recognition of people.
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• He also pointed out, to this effect, that the identification of individuals was not at all hindered in other Muslim countries which don’t impose the withdrawal of the beard and the veil for obvious religious reasons.
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