Indonesian cleric declares selfies sinful under Islamic law

Cleric says many Muslim women take selfies 'without shame' these days


January 28, 2015
These days, many Muslim women take selfies without shame, says cleric. STOCK IMAGE

Popular Indonesian cleric Felix Siauw declared 'selfies' sinful and urged people to avoid taking them, especially women, Quartz reported. 

Taking to his Twitter account, the cleric said that those who took selfies were succumbing to pride, ostentation and arrogance.

Referring to women, Siauw said that women who indulged in taking selfies were 'shameless' and 'unpure'.

With over one million followers on Twitter, the cleric tweeted "These days, many Muslim women take selfies without shame. There are usually nine frames in one photo with facial poses that are just – My Goodness – where’s the purity in women?"

According to The Daily Mail, he said that selfie-takers were desperate for social media views which made them ostentatious, adding that taking selfies made people feel 'cooler' and that we've fallen into the worst sin of all - arrogance.

Of course, this provoked retaliation on Twitter against his messages by many Indonesians. Hundreds of men and women have started posting selfies on the social media using the hashtag #Selfie4Siauw.

Some even took a comical approach by posting selfies with a camel and a great white shark using the same hashtag.

https://twitter.com/Redjopi/status/557802228460027904



https://twitter.com/Raranov_/status/558091131238768640

Much recently, a prominent religious scholar in Saudi Arabia who issued a fatwa against snowmen.



RELATED: Saudi cleric condemnds snowmen as anti-Islamic

COMMENTS (24)

faizan haider | 9 years ago | Reply

Making mockery of Religion.

lynley | 9 years ago | Reply

To socialize.... With the opposite sex.... the ( bad) purpose of Selfies! Taking a picture is creating an image- which is bad... Since it is taking over The role of God! ( who always takes snapshots of all He creates, for his records... But of course, this is none of our business, since God did not create us in His image to do anything the way he does or thinks or says...Woaa! Outlandish statements... Following their own especial notions , preferences and opinions, likes and dislikes! Sounds like we created God in our image of how He should be.and we are therefore in a position to be the Judge of Right and wrong... From the criteria that we invent and make up as we go along! Some people in this world have Compulsive Disorders.... Which may not be confined to those inclined to post a selfie now and then!

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