Forbidden felines: Saudi cleric declares selfies with cats 'un-Islamic'
Luckily for cat lovers across the Islamic country, the cleric explained that it was not only cats which were prohibited from photos.
By ROSIE PERPERUpdated: JUNE 23, 2016 21:13Photo illustration of cat(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Cats may be taking over the internet, but one Saudi cleric has taken steps to ensure that these sinister pets do not spread sin within his ultra-conservative country.Prominent Saudi cleric Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, a member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars, said in a television appearance that taking pictures with cats is a dangerous new trend spreading through the country, and marked the act as prohibited, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported.Saudi cleric bans cat selfies "A new trend has been spreading among people who want to be like Westerners," said a deeply concerned man in the audience. "The new trend is people taking pictures with cats."Luckily for cat lovers across the Islamic country, the cleric explained that it was not only cats which were prohibited from photos."The cats don't matter here. Taking pictures is prohibited here if not for necessity. Not with cats, not with dogs, not with wolves, not with anything."Saudi Arabia, known for taking more hard line views compared to its Islamic neighbors, banned the practice of taking photos altogether, claiming that photography violates tenets against depicting humans or animals.The official Saudi Press Agency, as well as many Saudi citizens, still continue to take photos, much to the chagrin of clerics within the country.