I am not alone...

... in using the term "fatwa" in a specialized, and perhaps too narrow, way. Arts & Letters Daily this morning pointed me to a National Journal article about the New York Times' ombudsman Daniel Okrent which contains the following phrase: "I hear that Okrent is already unpopular at The Times, that various angry staffers have issued fatwas."

The article is also interesting reading for those who are cynical about the New York Times or journalism in general.