freediver,
Quote:Well then what do you call the guy that issued the fatwa?
As far as I know, it was issued by an Iranian. Perhaps an ayatollah? No idea. Perhaps you can ask Malik, as I have no idea how their systems work.
grendel,
Quote:A priest by any other name....
Are there no forms of Islamic clergy?
That's what I said, there is not.
Quote:What was Sheik Hilali?
Community leader, that's not clergy.
Quote:Who teaches Islam?
Anybody who's studied it, to some degree all of us do. You teach what you know. I teach my children, and some friends, to the level I am able to, as do most other Muslims. Obviously there are those who are very educated in Islam, but they're certanly not a clergy.
Quote:Who leads prayers?
The main criteria is who knows the most Qur'an, if many people in the group memorised the whole Qur'an, then who knows the most hadith etc.
Pretty much every Muslim at some point in his/her life will lead prayers, when they find themselves the most knowledgeable of the group, or even just sometimes they'll be asked to lead, and they'll lead. Again, no clergy.
Quote:What is a Caliph?
A head of state. A political leader, not clergy.
Quote:What is a Sheik?
The word "Sheikh" literally just means 'old man'. Again, not a clergy.
Quote:What is an Imam?
Imam literally means 'one in front'. Just the guy who happens to be standing most forward when you pray. It just means leader, doesn't mean clergy.
Quote:What is a Mufti?
Derives from the word 'fatwa', meaning in the one qualified to give an Islamic legal verdict. It is a position of judiciary, has nothing to do with clergy.
Quote:What is a Mullah?
Mawlah (not mullah) just means 'master'. It is a title of respect, that's common in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Not a clergy.
Quote:Now please don't try to tell me these don't exist in some form in Islam.
A priest or a minister is a special religious class, a priestly class. Islam does not permit any such 'religious class' to exist. All Muslims must be religious and knowledgeable in their religion. All women must be modest and pious (like a nun is a religious class of Christians, covering her hair and so forth) in Islam all women must be dedicated to their religion in this way.
Now obviously you like to fit it into your experience of religion, but it just simply doesn't. Islam is a different system having a different structure, and it simply doesn't have a priestly class (or clergy), in fact in the Qur'an, the Jews and Christians are criticised for having insituted this thing. Therefore it would be forbidden for Muslims to do the same.