February 7, 2006
Islamic Scholars' Views on Portraying Mohammed Not Identical
Townhall has a very interesting article on the differing views by Islamic Scholars over the portrayal of Mohammed. Some interpret that even photographs of loved ones are not allowed, and to one Imam, even emoticons, the "smiley-face" icons widely used in email and mobile phone text messaging, are forbidden.
"As protests erupt in the Muslim world over cartoon depictions of Mohammed, various media reports stress that Islam forbids any pictures of its founding prophet. However, it's an issue over which -- like so many others in the religion -- scholars appear to differ.
"Generally speaking," Muslims believe images of Mohammed are unacceptable, "and many would say it is haram.
The same Islamic (shari'a ) law said to outlaw pictures of Mohammed also forbids pictures of any person or even animal -- and there, too, scholars' interpretations vary.
Not only have images of Mohammed appeared in art and literature over the centuries, but even today pictorial interpretations are available in the Islamic world. Many such pictures -- both historical and modern -- have been reproduced on the Internet in recent months, prompted by the cartoon dispute.
... Experts on a website called "Ask the Imam" say the act of keeping photographs of loved ones in an album is also prohibited in Islamic law.
And they go further than that: Even emoticons - the "smiley-face" icons widely used in email and mobile phone text messaging - are forbidden, rules Mufti Ebrahim Desai, a South Africa-based cleric.
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2006/02/011451.htm
