The gay Muslim group Al-Fatiha has denounced a fatwa or religious decree issued against them by Islamic fundamentalists as a form of illegal intimidation by gay civil rights advocates.

The alleged fatwa, which was issued earlier this month by the leader of the British Muslim group Al-Muhajiroun, ordered the deaths of members of Al-Fatiha, an organisation representing gay Muslims.

Although none of Al-Fatiha?s members have received direct threats from supporters of Al-Muhajiroun, the group has issued a statement saying that police were investigating the fatwa.

The group is also unable to confirm if the alleged fatwa is official. According to Al-Fatiha?s statement, they believe that the fatwa was only sent to the press in the United Kingdom in reaction to the Al-Fatiha conference that was held in San Francisco and Al-Fatiha's participation in the San Francisco Pride Parade.

The alleged fatwa reads: "The very existence of Al-Fatiha is illegitimate and the members of this organisation are apostates. Never will such an organisation be tolerated in Islam and never will the disease that it calls for be affiliated with a true Islamic society or individual. The Islamic ruling for such acts is death. It is a duty of the Muslims to prevent such evil conceptions being voiced in the public or private arena."

The statement released by the Al-Muhajiroun cannot be found on their web site nor can it be found on any other web sites of Islamic organization based in the United Kingdom.

The website, however, does contain the group's stand on homosexuality. It reads, in part: "[Homosexuality] ... has produced a corrupt, degenerative society which destroys the foundation of the family. Islam, Christianity and Judaism unanimously condemn homosexuality, pedophilia and bestiality and prescribe death for such acts."

Whether the alleged fatwa is offical or not, Al-Fatiha is concerned that supporters might take things into their own hands after reading it.

A spokesman of Al-Fatiha said in a Washington Blade interview, "The rhetoric in the fatwa is extremely high. It basically reads as an OK for people to go out and kill queer Muslims."

It was also reported that sermons in mosques around Britain following the Al-Muhajiroun fatwa condemned homosexuality and specifically mentioned the Al-Fatiha group.