By Jessica Beyer and Iza Hussin 

Research Theoretical Frame

Using the institution of the fatwa as a lens, the central question of this on‐goingproject is: how do the spaces within which the politics of authority and law‐making occuralter their meanings, their content, their language and their audience? By comparing threewebsites that offer online fatwa, we seek to understand: How do these sites provide Muslims living in non‐Muslim states with answers to questions about political representation, participation and exclusion? How is the internet changing the ways inwhich people imagine themselves in relation to their communities, thereby changing therelationship between state and society? More broadly, how is authority made, maintainedand challenged on fatwa sites? What are the local politics of these trans‐global spaces? Dothese sites represent a new space of law for Muslims?

Our initial research investigates fatwa websites using dual methods of observationand content analysis. Observation began in April 2009 and is currently ongoing. Case selection was made on the basis of traffic and age of site not only because the number ofviewers could be construed as a proxy for impact, but also because it means the sites are fairly stable and are unlikely to disappear suddenly. 1  Our cases are chosen from the set of highly trafficked sites that have existed for at least two years. Our data collection is in linewith the Association of Internet Researchers Ethics Working Group recommendations basedon user expectations and conducting online research. 2  Through our comparative observations of three online fatwa sites, we raisequestions on the negotiation of Muslim disputes and the making, un‐making andtransformation of Islamic authority in varied and multiple venues. Each site is hosted inone place but is capable of being accessed by Muslims worldwide; each allows almostcomplete anonymity but offers a large audience; each refers to geographically‐boundschools of Islamic law but extends far beyond their reach.

[See accompanying PDF for an overview of the research findings.]

Jessica Beyer is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of Washington.

Iza Hussin is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.