Fatwas and the Code Napoleon

Isn't this an interesting comment on the symbiosis of Islamic and Western civilisations? "And in Islam, a fatwa used to be a nonbinding wisdom judgment of elders limited by the greater wisdom and judgment of God. It only became a lethal injunction when Muslims started to copy Napoleonic models of authority and legitimization."
The source article is worth reading, imo.
Why the West gets religion wrong - Editorials & Commentary - International Herald Tribune: [:Islam:]