Craziest Fatwas to Come Out of the Middle East
Yes, stuffing yourself senseless with “All You Can Eat” offers is haram according to one Saudi cleric.
It’s no secret that Islam’s reputation has taken many blows recently, thanks to all the extreme Islamist parties, sheikhs who are preaching hatred and violence, the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule in Egypt and our favorite: ridiculous fatwas.
You’ve likely heard about Yasser Borhami’s fatwa allowing men to abandon their raped wives, so here’s a list of three additional, less infuriating (yet just as crazy) fatwas:
1. Fatwa prohibiting traveling abroad
Saudi Sheikh Abdullah Al-Suwailem recently stated that “traveling abroad is forbidden in Sharia except in cases of necessity and with conditions.” He went on to explain that, for a Muslim to travel, one condition is that he has to have strong faith, and must abstain from falling victim to “desires.”
He even claimed that traveling for education or business should be avoided. “Traveling to the land of infidelity for the sake of doing business or studies is forbidden except in extreme necessity!”
2. Fatwa prohibiting ‘All You Can Eat’ offers
“All You Can Eat” offers are pretty common in fast food chains in countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So why not spoil everyone’s fun (and appetite) by issuing a fatwa to prohibit the Western marketing ploys?
“Whoever enters the buffet and eats for 10 or 50 riyals without deciding the quantity they will eat is violating Sharia (Islamic) law,” claimed Saleh al-Fawzan, a Saudi cleric.
3. Fatwa prohibiting New Year’s celebrations
Coming from Indonesia this time, a fatwa was issued by the clerical Ulema Consultative Assembly banning New Year’s 2014 celebrations. It even forbid people from wishing one another a “Merry Christmas”.
This one isn’t particularly new, as we have heard similar fatwas on extremist Islamic channels (back when they were still running). What’s new, though, is that this fatwa came from the sharia police, an official entity in Indonesia, while the previous two were mere announcements by religious extremists.
Predictably, all of these fatwas were condemned by the public in both countries, as there are no verses in the Quran that prohibits any of the mentioned actions.
The Islam we know is a religion that encourages coexistence, respect for the religious beliefs of others and learning about other cultures.
WE SAID THIS: What can we ban next?
