Driving or Riding in an Ethanol-Powered Vehicle Could Be Sin: Islamic Scholar Opines

ethanol filling station photo
photo: Morris K Udall Foundation via flickr

Add another twist to the discussion of reasons to take objections to biofuels: Saudi scholar, Sheikh Mohamed al-Najimi has expressed his opinion that under Islamic law the use of ethanol could be considered a sin, as it is a form of alcohol:

This opinion is based on a statement by "the prophet that prohibited all kinds of dealings with alcohol including buying, selling, carrying, serving, drinking, and manufacturing." (Al Arabiya via Biofuels Forum)

Sheikh Mohamed, who's a member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy, stressed that this opinion was his own, was not a fatwa, and urged Islamic leaders to study the issue. Furthermore, the ban should extend beyond predominantly Muslim countries, to include Saudi and Muslim youth studying abroad who may ride in vehicles powered by biofuels.

Islamic Chemists First Developed Ethanol Distillation, 1200 Years Ago
The Muslim Community Lobby Ireland's blog points out that, in addition to Sheikh Mohamed's position being incorrect, ironically, the very word alcohol is of Arabic origin and it was Persian chemists in the 8th and 9th centuries who perfected distilling pure ethanol for use in perfumes and eyeliner. The process was then introduced into Europe, after being translated by European scholars in the 12th century.

via: Biofuels Forum, Cleantech, Sindh Today

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