Are Selfies Permissible in Islam?
By Khalid Tashkandi
AN Arabic newspaper published a report about controversial fatwas (religious edicts) issued by some scholars on satellite TV channels and in social media. These fatwas have generated wide interest across the world and have been covered by different Western media channels. The Saudi Board of Senior Scholars should, therefore, be the only organization authorized to issue fatwas.
There are some fatwas that are viewed as strange in today’s world. A Saudi, for example, asked a scholar on a TV channel whether it was permissible to take a selfie with a cat. This happened last May when selfies had taken the Kingdom by storm. The scholar answered: “Photography is not permissible except when necessary. No photos should be taken with cats, dogs, wolves, etc.”
This part of the televised interview with the scholar went viral on social media and later received wide coverage in several Western newspapers and TV channels, such as the Washington Post, Newsweek, the Independent, the Daily Mail, etc. This fatwa might have been well received by the previous generation before the emergence of the Internet and smartphones. However, today’s generation will not accept it because the Internet is a part of their daily life and is a necessity. They cannot live without such tools. Therefore, when they hear a scholar saying photography is not permissible, they do not agree.
Some scholars insist that it is not permissible for women to travel without a guardian while others say it is permissible on the basis that there is no need for male guardians today because travel does not take days and weeks as it used to in olden days.
When issuing a fatwa, scholars should take into consideration the current condition of society. Of course, those things that are not permissible, such as adultery, fornication and alcohol will remain impermissible regardless of the times we live in. I am talking about photography, which some scholars say is permissible, while others say it is not. Issues like photography will always be controversial. Moreover, many scholars today take selfies and put their photos on social media. This contradiction confuses people since photography has become a part of daily life.
(Source: SaudiGazette.com.sa)