Fazal Ansari
Srinagar: A dedicated opponent of Israel’s occupation of Arab land, a fierce critic of US policies in the Middle East and a supporter of the 1979 Iranian revolution, Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Fadlallah (Fazlullah) was a social moderate and sought to reconcile Shia and Sunni Muslims. Descendant of the family of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and a marja (source of emulation), he issued fatwas, or religious rulings, that prohibited violence against women and children, declared that women were entitled to stand for and serve in elected office, banned smoking, and barred self-flagellation during ceremonies marking the day of Ashoura.