The Palestinian AuthorityÂ’s supreme religious decrees council issued a fatwa this week that said Internet dating was permissible under certain circumstances in the West Bank.The ruling Tuesday contradicts decrees issued by more conservative Islamic scholars and was rejected by the religious establishment in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Supreme Ifta Council acknowledged in its fatwa that social interaction via the Internet has become widespread and said, “It is impossible to avoid it or ban it completely.”
The decree said online communications between members of the opposite sex were permissible, provided they were for the purpose of marriage, and provided that both parties abide by “codes of ethics and religious directives.”
It went on to specify that such interaction must be done with the knowledge of both families and shouldnÂ’t happen in a closed room. Women shouldnÂ’t provide details about their appearance or share photographs of themselves, it said.