Statement on the status of a tape regarding the Council of Senior Scholars and their fatwas

Question:
A while ago, a cassette was distributed. In it, one of the leaders of one of the groups in Jordan speaks about the Council of Senior Scholars in our country. The cassette contains a kind of cunning; that is, the sin is in what resembles praise. He speaks and praises our scholars with abundant praise, and then he says that the errors found in some of their fatwas were issued due to pressures from some of the rulers in that country. This cassette was distributed widely. So perhaps you could shed light on this statement, O Shaykh?

Answer:
Praise be to Allah that he acknowledged the truth and highlighted the virtue of these scholars. As for his claim that they issue fatwas due to pressure, that is a false statement. The scholars of this land, praise be to Allah, are the furthest people from flattery and from the pressures he mentions. They issue fatwas based on what appears to them to be the truth, whether it aligns with people's desires or contradicts them. This is what is known about them. Their fatwas exist, praise be to Allah; their fatwas are documented and their tapes are available. Let this speaker come to us with a single fatwa that contradicts the truth and was issued under pressure, proving that they were forced to do so. Let him provide us with one such fatwa. As for speech, claims, and accusing people, anyone can do that; everyone says it. But when it comes to facts, let him provide us with one fatwa of this kind.