Framing English as a Foreign Language in Fatwa Discourse

Abstract

Fatwa discourse  is  among  the  most  effective  and  powerful  instrumental  discourse  in Muslim communities as a source of knowledge, guidance, adaptation and change. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the discourse of  fatwas on the ruling of learning and speaking English to reveal the role such fatwas have played in shaping the attitude towards the English language among Muslims. In doing so, the data, which comprised English and Arabic fatwas, were  analysed  utilising  frame  analysis  to  understand  how  the  issue  was framed. The results showed two main ideological overarching frames: an anti-English frame  and  a  pro-English  frame.  The  anti-English  frame,  which  serves  as  a  form  of resistance/rejection,   shaped   English   through   the   following   sub-frames:   necessity, unArabic, unIslamic, anti-imitation and consequence/ramification. On the other hand, the pro-English frame, which is a form of acceptance, ideated English through the frames of necessity and permissibility.