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
Dari Gilda Pemuda-Pemudi Pemuja Selfie --> SECARIK PLEDOI UNTUK FELIX SIAUW http://t.co/IzfSBNq4vJ #Selfie4Siauw pic.twitter.com/cAY8J6fMEn
— Mojok.co (@mojokdotco) January 22, 2015
Wkwk 😄 RT @fitsalma: Naudzubillah ..... "@ratjunn: #Selfie4Siauw tadz @felixsiauw cantek gak mbak ini? http://t.co/qVF32jx294"
— Novera Wardhana (@Raranov_) January 22, 2015
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)
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Making mockery of Religion.
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!
I do agree with the cleric for the case that we've indulged in arrogance and we've gone astray. We are attracted to the superficially beautiful virtual world and all these selfies we usually post are to attract and socialize with opposite sex. Moreover, indulging in any activity which make you ignorant( in terms of your obligations) is not preferred in Islam. And this is so. One Hadith states : "Actions are judged by intentions"... So it all depends on your intention.
Unless you are God.. Let's just leave the 'judging of purity' to the Big Guy upstairs.
@Talha: You somehow neglected to tell us why this story is an example of "biased" reporting! Did the cleric not declare that taking "selfies" was sinful????!
These days it seems fashionable for journalists to dig up news which will make religion or it's flag bearers seem stupid, irrational and just plain morons. Do not fall prey to this biased reporting.
You know where this is heading ... why not just Ban Fun and get it over with. Cleric seems to get irritated anytime they see someone smile - what's up with that?
I declare this cleric sinful. He declared it and therefore it is. I declared therefore it is. So you see declaring things is magic.
Making a picture for CNIC and Passport is also a sin.
What would Mullahs have to say on this?
The Mullahs are also fond of getting their pictures published in the newspapers and also want to have publicity on TV screens.
Are they not selfies?
They really are turning the religion into a laughing stock! Why don't saner Muslims take them to task?
Then why is watching yourself in the mirror not a sin by the same logic? It is actually a Sunnah.
There are good religious grounds for no selfies. As any pictures of animate beings in his house, because they will prevent the angels from entering as reported by Bukhaari.
it makes no sense, taking selfie is time wasting but not a sin i think!!
I am not supporting or writing against the above story and comments by people. I just want to raise a point, please write with responsibility and remember you will have to answer Allah for all your words. So if you are not well versed in the knowledge of sharia, then please refrain from commenting on it.
jazakallahukhair
Actually this particular cleric is a bit of a softie - any kind of image-making (statue / painting) of living things is blaxxxxmous since only Almighty has the patent on that and image-making is thus logically considered equivalent to playing God or insulting Him
And since photography wasn't invented back then, photography is retroactively deemed akin to image-making (good IPR drafting, that) and so the true dictum is that any photography on a living being (not just selfies) is blaxxxxmous (not merely sinful), except that since a selfie is a selfie, the object of the selfie is the blaxxxxmer, by virtue of being the photographer too.
Oh, and btw - images of plants are permitted, since plants are considered lifeless / not made by God.
People are planning to go to MARS and these clerics are busy in discussing how a lady should or should not do........they want them to go to stone age....
@Usama - "Now blame KSA Cleric for this too"
Why not? This Indonesian guy got inspired from who else the Saudis... Just as your militants get inspired from theirs...
This is what money does to you
Saudi/Wahhabi ideology at its best.
Now blame KSA Cleric for this too... :/
If the ladies taking selfies are anything like the ones in your picture above then I already feel like I must be in heaven.
have you any other work exept issue related to marriage and critcism on modern technology even themself being benefitted in letter and spirit from these blessings
These clerics have just shoved Muslims in deepest pit of ignorance . Down with them