Is Prominent Muslim Cleric’s Religious ‘Fatwa’ Ban On Building Snowmen Legal?

A so-called prominent religious leader from Saudi Arabia, well-known Scholar Mohammad Saleh Al Minjed, recently issued a “fatwa” or religious ban on the building of snowmen, calling the practice “unacceptable to Islam.”

Gulf News reported that the fatwa, issued by the cleric, also forbids the construction of any snow models of animals, although making snow models of lifeless things, such as ships, fruit, and buildings, is acceptable.

According to the religious leader, “It is not permitted to make a statue out of snow, even by way of play and fun. God has given people space to make whatever they want which does not have a soul, including trees, ships, fruits, buildings and so on.”

While the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia failed to comment on the new curious fatwa, no date was set by Al Minjed for the the implementation of the new ban.

Obviously, the fatwa received some interesting comments on social media, with one blogger posting, “It has no value in our traditions, and those who are fascinated by the West should emulate their inventions and sciences, not their culture.”

While another wrote, “We have snow for fleeting days, maybe even hours, and there is always someone who wants to rob us of the joy and the fun. It seems that the only thing left for us is to sit down and drink coffee.”

Even though Saudi Arabia is the second hottest country in the world, it has been hit by random snowstorms this month, mainly in the Tabuk region, situated around 1000 kilometers from the capital Riyadh.

This is by no means the first, nor do we suspect the last, bizarre religious ban to be issues by Muslim clerics, as back at the beginning of 2014 another cleric banned Muslims from going to live on Mars.

As reported by the Telegraph, the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GAIAE) in the United Arab Emirates said that anyone making such a “hazardous trip” is likely to die for “no righteous reason.”

While Muslim leaders issue these religious bans, known as fatwas, based on the Koran, or so they claim, it is a wonder that people actually listen to and follow them, for fear of being prosecuted, or at the very least, going against the word of someone “wiser” than them.