Twenty-one scholars on the Syrian Islamic Council issued a fatwā on cryptocurrency that declared dealing with cryptocurrency to be religiously forbidden (ḥarām) because of the many risks associated with it, which they identify as ignorance about it, uncertainty [as to its fluctuating value], and its resemblance to gambling. They came to their decision after outlining their understanding of cryptocurrencies as goods that are intangible given that they are produced programmatically and exist on the internet. For them, this nature of digital currency bolsters the risk of loss in the event of a technical malfunction or computer hacking. Secondly, they understand cryptocurrencies to be decentralized, which creates ambiguity around its origin, authority structure, and reference points necessary for evaluating those currencies in trading and for setting pricing. That ambiguity in turn prevents any authority from controlling the flowing liquidity in the markets. Furthermore, they conclude that governments currently lack legal considerations that might aid in the oversight and control of cryptocurrency circulation. Because of these risks, they determine that trading cryptocurrency is forbidden unless so long as there are no changes in its structure or governance that can help eliminate the large degree of risk that comes with their usage currently, through proper oversight and issuance from central banks or trusted institutions.