Taking A Selfie Is A Sin, Declares Muslim Cleric; Slams Islamic Women Who Take Selfies

An Indonesian Muslim cleric has declared that taking selfies is a sin as he criticized Muslim women for shamelessly posting selfies.

In a series of posts on Twitter, popular preacher and book author Felix Siauw said taking a selfie could lead to pride, arrogance and ostentation.

Twitter users who were offended by his posts used the hashtag #Selfie4Siauw and posted their selfies.

Siauw has 1.17 million followers on Twitter and 2.47 million on Facebook.

"If we take a selfie, sift through and choose our best pose, and then we're awed and impressed by our selves – worryingly, that's called PRIDE," he posted, according to a translation by Coconuts Jakarta.

He added, "If we take a selfie and upload it on social media, desperately hoping for view, likes, comments or whatever – we've fallen into the OSTENTATIOUS trap. If we take a selfie and we feel cooler and better than others – we've fallen into the worst sin of all, ARROGANCE."

Siauw also criticized Muslim women who upload selfies. "These days many Muslim women take selfies without shame. There are usually nine frames in one photo with facial poses that are just – My Goodness – where's the purity in women?" he said.

After users uploaded their selfies to express their disdain at his statement, the cleric explained that he didn't exactly say that selfie is illegal and a sin, stressing that he only questioned the intention and the practice of faith behind it.

"So be careful," he advised.

He claimed that data and research showed that taking a selfie is a psychological disorder.

His advice may not go well with Indonesians including President Joko Widodo who posts selfies on social media.

Recently, Saudi cleric Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munajjid declared that building a snowman with facial features is against the teachings of Islam.

He said the model should be like scarecrows with no facial features.