It’s Saturday, which means it’s time for Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla to greet his nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter and discuss the religious issues of the day. Ulil, who is affiliated with the Islamic Liberal Network, jokingly calls it ‘TweetFatwa’, a dig at the conservative Indonesian Ulema Council, which frequently issues fatwas against anything from Hollywood movie 2012 (for depicting Armageddon), to women using hair-straightening products (a desire to improve physical appearance can lead to immoral acts), to women riding on motorcycle taxis (close physical contact with the opposite sex).
Ulil’s Tweets usually focus on grassroots issues tied to Islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh, such as why eating pork is forbidden in Islam, female circumcision and interest at banks. He promotes pluralism and religious tolerance, but also Tweets about football, donuts and Luna Maya, his favorite Indonesian actress.
Full Story: Twitter Wars in Asia | The Diplomat