Stunning news from Spain

Spanish Muslim clerics have issued a fatwa against Osama bin Laden calling him "apostate" and urging fellow Muslims to denounce him.

The fatwa said that according to the Quran "the terrorist acts of Osama bin Laden and his organization al-Qaida ... are totally banned and must be roundly condemned as part of Islam."

It added: "Inasmuch as Osama bin Laden and his organization defend terrorism as legal and try to base it on the Quran ... they are committing the crime of 'istihlal' and thus become apostates that should not be considered Muslims or treated as such." The Arabic term 'istihlal' refers to the act of making up one's own laws.

I have wondered for a long time when a Muslim leader would stand up and say to the world that what bin Laden is doing is wrong.

The force of this fatwa is strengthened by the fact that the Spanish Muslims are Sunni muslims, as is bin Laden. It will be interesting to see the reaction of the Muslim community, especially in the MidEast, in the next few days.