Saudi Cleric Says Building Snowmen is “Un-Islamic”

[reorg]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by azurnoir (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Al-Akhbar

A prominent Saudi cleric whipped up controversy by issuing a religious ruling forbidding the building of snowmen, describing them as un-Islamic.

Asked on a religious website if it was permissible for fathers to build snowmen for their children after a snowstorm in the country's north, Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munajjid replied: "It is not permitted to make a statue out of snow, even by way of play and fun."

Snow has covered upland areas of Tabuk province near Saudi Arabia's border with Jordan for the third consecutive year as cold weather swept across the Middle East.

Quoting Muslim scholars, Munajjid argued that to build a snowman was to create an image of a human being, an action considered sinful under the kingdom's medieval interpretation of Sharia.

...


A Saudi man and his son pose for a photograph in front of camels in the Aleghan Heights, located some 1500 km northwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh in the Tabuk region, on January 10, 2015, after a heavy snow storm hit parts of the Middle East. AFP/Mohammed Albuhaisi

Read more: http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-cleric-says-building-snowmen-un-islamic%E2%80%9D

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The article continues with criticism about the cleric's ruling, but:

Munajjid had some supporters, however. "It (building snowmen) is imitating the infidels, it promotes lustiness and eroticism," one wrote. "May God preserve the scholars, for they enjoy sharp vision and recognize matters that even Satan does not think about." ...

[Archae]

1. BAM!!!

:headdesk:

[Fred Sanders]

2. Prominent America clerics, they are called preachers, are not near as bad in their madness, are they?

[samsingh]

13. they don't have the same power at the legislative level

[Fred Sanders]

15. This guy has no power with some rantings on a website, same as the preachers ranting on websites in

America.

This is a hit piece on Islam.

[samsingh]

18. haven't you heard about the morals police?

[Fred Sanders]

20. You mean these guys?

[EX500rider]

23. No, these guys:

?1346147508

Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Promotion_of_Virtue_and_the_Prevention_of_Vice_%28Saudi_Arabia%29

[nichomachus]

36. I have a friend who lived in Malaysia for four years

He had to go to Thailand if he wanted to go on a date. If he was even having coffee with a single woman in Malaysia, there was a good chance the religious police would drag them out of the coffee shop and savagely beat them.

[Bluenorthwest]

25. Liberal Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was publicly flogged in Jeddah for insulting Islam.

Badawi, a brave human-rights activist, was sentenced to 15 years by a Saudi court - and 50 lashes once a week for 20 weeks - because he critiqued the way Saudi clerics interpret Islam.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20150111_Worldview__The_world_must_now_confront_Salafi_teachings.html


The United States government did not enforce the KKK's evil, Fred. 50 lashes once a week for 20 weeks. That's a hit piece on decency and humanity.

[Fred Sanders]

31. This tit for tat could go on forever...how instructive is that?

[Bluenorthwest]

32. It's not 'tit for tat'. It's about honesty and truth. 50 lashes a week for 20 weeks for criticizing

the clerics. And you are here saying America is the same because we have crazy preachers too. But we don't beat our bloggers for criticizing them, do we?
You say 'This guy has no power with some rantings on a website, same as the preachers ranting on websites in America' but the fact is that people there get the lash for being critical of clerics. That's the truth. What you said is not the truth.
Here, read this and get all upset about it:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/09/in-defense-of-blasphemy.html

[reorg]

42. the cleric mentioned in the OP has no official approval, though

Saudi Arabia has blocked a website of a Muslim scholar, popular for dedicating a major section for issuing fatwas (religious edicts) to visitors seeking religious consultation, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya reported.

The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) blocked access to Islam-qa.com (Islam: Question and Answer) of Saudi-based Syrian Sheikh Muhammad al-Munajjid apparently because of violating a royal order saying only approved scholars can issue fatwas, the network reported Friday on its website.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-09/03/c_13477495.htm

[gregcrawford]

44. I think Fred's off his meds again...

... Oppositional Defiance Disorder, I think. (Yeah, it really is a thing) Poor Fred.

[samsingh]

39. what's your obsession with the south? I'm talking about Saudi Arabia.

as far as I know the kkk has no federal power or support at the national level.

belonging to the kkk is viewed really badly.

[Rhinodawg]

3. And this is someone we're supposed to respect?

good luck.

[Fred Sanders]

4. As much as preachers in America, I think that is the point. No respect, lots of mockery.

[samsingh]

11. i don't think preachers in the US can get someone excecuted or imprisoned

federally based on a new edict that someone makes up

[840high]

6. Well - he gave me a good laugh.

[samsingh]

10. someone could be executed for that without even realizing the new edict.

[Rhinodawg]

5. " it promotes lustiness and eroticism"

I wish.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

30. I supose if you put big tits or a dick on it.

[samsingh]

40. and what's wrong with that?

[WinkyDink]

7. I'm amazed they think human reproduction is allowable.

[samsingh]

9. i would support the notion that it isn't

[WinkyDink]

28. ;-)

[samsingh]

8. you never know what is going to be deemed unislamic. seems just about anything can be

I read somewhere that throwing out a business card with a prophet's name in Pakistan can be considered blasphemy.

[FSogol]

12. LOL, maybe he's right about promoting lustiness and eroticism:

[arcane1]

17. Hey, how about a NSFW warning???

[FSogol]

21. What ever happened to the (snow) nipple-alerter?

[arcane1]

26. LOL I think they parlayed that status into bigger and better things

[FSogol]

27. Issuing Snow Fatwas?

[reorg]

24. not in Saudi Arabia

[uhnope]

14. Ten Reasons Christians Should Not Celebrate Halloween

http://www.fillthevoid.org/Occult/TenReasonsChristiansShouldNotCelebrateHalloween.htm

there's always some wackoids to point to

[arcane1]

16. Banned by the ten commandments too. But who obeys that stupid rule?

Religion

[Demeter]

19. what the hell ELSE are you supposed to do with snow?

There's only so much snow ice cream a person can eat....

[Turbineguy]

22. Every religion has its

Pat Robertson so it would seem.

[Bluenorthwest]

29. But in Saudi Arabia, the courts enforce clerical views. On Friday, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi got his

first 50 lashes from the whip, he will get 50 a week for 20 weeks. The offense? He criticized the way clerics interpret Islam.
Everyone has extremists, not everyone puts them in charge. How do you feel about the 50 lashes a week for 20 weeks compared to Pat saying stupid stuffs? Are the about the same, do you think?

[Turbineguy]

35. No, they are not the same.

But taking away the judicial part will not make this clown any smarter.

[Fearless]

33. So then we should be stoning all the infidel crafts people?

Or is that different?

[Sunlei]

34. Those Clerics answering questions on religious websites need thousands of western style questions.

Troll them off the internet and back into their caves.

[IcyPeas]

37. Calvin and Hobbes must not be very popular there

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Burf-_-]

38. Zombie Snowmen needed in Op Photo

Can someone please photshop OP's original pictures with the zombie snowmen, or something else even more hilarious.

[mainstreetonce]

43. You can find zombie snowmen at

A Game of Thrones site

[Burf-_-]

45. i know where to find them

I'd do it myself, if i had a photoshop again. =(

[gregcrawford]

41. Good grief...

... The Wahabi consider the WHEEL "Un-Islamic!"

[azurnoir]

46. sorry locking not LBN material per host consensus