Free Syrian Army fatwa forbids killing 'lice growing in blessed beards'

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has issued a fatwa prohibiting the killing of lice that appear in the beard of a Muslim due to lack of hygiene during the Jihads, claiming that lice were 'God's Muslim believing creatures' to appear in blessed beards.

An Islamic television channel, Ahlulbayt News, translated the Sharia fatwa stating that those found disobeying the fatwa would be punished with 50 lashes by Sharia and other measures will be taken against him in the Shaira Court in Aleppo, the Washington Times reports.

The fatwa claimed that blessed lice appear in the Muslim's beard because of his lack of bathing due to the water non-availability all the time on the Jihad fronts.

According to the report, the Sharia Authority in Aleppo recommended the Mujahideen brothers to dye their beards with Henna because that would reduce the itching caused by the lice.

The fatwa, meanwhile, conflicts with Islamic teachings based on hygiene, which calls for Muslims to take bath before prayers and before reading Quran, five times a day.