A member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars has declared that it is haram (forbidden) for Muslims to take pictures with cats unless it is necessary for them to do so.
Sheikh Saleh Bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan was reportedly told on a televised broadcast about a new trend of taking pictures with cats among people “who want to be like Westerners.”
He responded that, “Taking pictures is prohibited if not for a necessity. Not with cats, not with dogs, not with wolves, not with anything.”
The Sheikh ironically delivered his message against taking photographs through a televised broadcast which was constantly capturing photographs of him.
Other activities and games which originate from Western countries have also been outlawed in Saudi Arabia.
In January, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, who is the highest religious authority in the kingdom, declared that chess is “a waste of time and money and a cause for hatred and enmity between players” and hence, it should be forbidden.
He also issued a fatwa banning the Pokémon franchise, claiming that it encourages gambling and promotes religions other than Islam.
It seems hypocritical, however, that Saudi Arabia’s top religious and political leaders continually claim to denounce everything “Western” while they simultaneously form strong relations with those same Western countries at the expense of their neighbouring Muslim countries.
Saudi Arabia must recognize the need to critically examine policies and alliances that impact the lives of millions of people instead of criticizing every “Western” thing imaginable.
Perhaps, they need to look at the bigger picture.
A Senior Saudi Cleric Says Taking Pictures With Cats is Haram
By Khalood Kibria
That’s what keeps the man busy? Cat-selfies? Not the poor hungry thirsty people? Not the diseases that need medical research to cure the sick? Not the women’s rights that seriously need to be revisited? No, his main concern is people taking pictures of cats… I know these clerics are hypocrites, but they never cease to amaze me…
I so agree with you saudian people are such hypocrites
this annoys me so much, if its not haram in the Quran then its not haram that’s it, keep it simple, don’t overcomplicate things, life’s too hard as it is and being a muslim in this society is even harder, they need to recognise that and help the muslims to develop and become better as human beings, not deter us from taking cat selfies!
I don’t like the way she criticizes ‘Saudi Arabia’ as one big conglomerous thing. It’s a country housing millions of people and believe it or not they don’t all think the exact same way and agree with every fatwa issued. Also….even though this article ridicules the opinion, there is an opinion among yes, more than just ‘scholars’, that creating pictures of things with souls is wrong. Because of the narration from the Prophet in which he says not to copy God’s living creation or it will be a sin on you, speaking to a man who painted people. This has been clarified- as the article says- if not for a necessity *or* if doing it is for an important cause, such as teaching, which he was doing. Soo….whether I agree or not, I don’t think its right how she mocks what could be a valid opinion.
If Pokémon is haram, I don’t want to be halal.