Support NeoGAF

[Forkball]

IS NOTHING SACRED?

A new fashion for taking a selfie while on pilgrimage to the holy sites of Islam is being greeted with disapproval by some clerics, it has been reported.

A growing number of pilgrims are taking pictures of themselves while on the hajj - the main pilgrimage Muslims seek to perform at least once in their life - and posting it on social media for friends and family at home, according to the Arab News website. Favourite scenes include the key steps of the pilgrimage, such as the ritual walk around the Kaaba in Mecca or trying to kiss the black stone inside. The practice apparently took off after the authorities relaxed a previous ban on camera phones inside the holy sites.

Now several religious scholars have spoken out against "selfie fever" as "touristy behaviour". "Taking such selfies and videos defy the wish of our prophet," Saudi cleric Assim Al-Hakeem says. "It is as though the only purpose of this trip is to take pictures and not worship," another, Abdul Razzaq Al-Badr, grumbles. But some think the chorus of disapproval - even a former grand mufti in Egypt has been critical - is unlikely to have an effect. "So many people have camera phones, it's not easy to stop," one pilgrim says.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

Leave them alone they look happy

 

[victreeb3l]

I dont see the problem. When I go on Hajj someday I would like to take photos too. Its a special thing after all.

 

[OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather]

Some people just look for reasons to get angry.

 

[shuri]

'Yo dont take pics, it goes against the Prophet, but stay in our 10,000$ a night 7 stars hotels covered in neons overseeing the site'

 

[Snkfanatic]

Love the second pic for some reason. Dude looks really happy

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

Some people might not be able to experience it again and wants to save these memories, so I don't see any problem.

 

[RustyNails]

get over it mullahs.

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

'Yo dont take pics, it goes against the Prophet, but stay in our 10,000$ a night 7 stars hotels covered in neons overseeing the site'

Religion and money have always co-existed pretty comfortably.

 

[RK9039]

If the ban on camera phones have been relaxed then there are no problems with this at all.

 

[adj_noun]

I wonder how much of a mosh pit it is trying to kiss the stone.

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

ooooo you young whippersnappers!!!!

 

[Fari]

They should charge a selfie fee.

Nobody would be complaining then.

 

[Bedameister]

What so special about it? I don't get it

I also don't get the selfie thing but I don't care. Let people do it if they like it. It's cool because I can make fun of people doing it.

 

[victreeb3l]

They should charge a selfie fee.

Nobody would be complaining then.

You mean like a..Selfee?

 

[Rentahamster]

"Taking such selfies and videos defy the wish of our prophet,"

Oh yeah. All those ancient rules about camera phones. Forgot about those.

 

[wenis]

What so special about it? I don't get it

I also don't get the selfie thing but I don't care. Let people do it if they like it. It's cool because I can make fun of people doing it.

Religion

*said in the most dismissive way possible*

 

[Kinitari]

Oh yeah. All those ancient rules about camera phones. Forgot about those.

I'm pretty sure the Qu'ran, as well as quite a few hadith, explicitly forbade duckface during portraits - we can extrapolate from their how the prophet(s) would feel both about selfies, and vertical videos.

 

[Leynos]

Narcissistic kids gonna...narcissism? You either ban phones, or let it happen.

 

[fertygo]

They probably need to ban it next year, can't risk some idiot creating mass incident while million people walking at once .

 

[ZiZ]

I'm not against taking selfies, but keep in mind that it's VERY VERY crowded there during Hajj, literally millions of people from different backgrounds from all over the world in a small area. Stopping in the middle of the path to take a selfie will disrupt the flow.

 

[TheRealTalker]

Oh yeah. All those ancient rules about camera phones. Forgot about those.

I guess he means that one of rhe reason you go to Hajj is to erase your self pride and ego but taking a selfie kinda destroys that point

Spoiler

Having Mega Malls and Fancy Hotels kinda destroy that point too though

 

[Pai Pai Master]

I'm not against taking selfies, but keep in mind that it's VERY VERY crowded there during Hajj, literally millions of people from different backgrounds from all over the world in a small area. Stopping in the middle of the path to take a selfie will disrupt the flow.

It's also fucking dangerous as hell. Standing there while crowds of pilgrims are surging through, someone's gonna get trampled.

 

[legacyzero]

Leave them alone they look happy

This.

And the ones in the OP look pretty cool.

 

[TheRealTalker]

I'm not against taking selfies, but keep in mind that it's VERY VERY crowded there during Hajj, literally millions of people from different backgrounds from all over the world in a small area. Stopping in the middle of the path to take a selfie will disrupt the flow.

Yeah I can also agree with this

There is a large safety matter involved here



And GOD knows how scared the Saudi would be if a stampede accident happened again

 

[grap3fruitman]

The photos in the thread put a smile on my face. Can't say I have a problem with that.

 

[The Shogun]

Actually love these and usually selfies annoy me.

The people in them honestly look happy and that this is a special event for them very cool in my opinion.

 

[tanooki27]

it's a fucking sickness. lookatmelookatmelookatmelookatmelookatmelookatmelookatme

 

[Josh with a J]

Selfie Fever would be a good name for a new virus

 

[Kinyou]

What do those clerics say about the city looking like Las vegas 2.0?

 

[hiryu64]

You mean like a..Selfee?

http://youtu.be/BWmlPpeXFKc

Spoiler

I chuckled.

 

[Crossing Eden]

it's a fucking sickness. lookatmelookatmelookatmelookatmelookatmelookatmelookatme

It's a sickness to take a picture of yourself in a beautiful location? Wow the horror. We should quarantine people comfortable enough with their appearance to take a picture of themselves. /s -_-

 

[Oppo]

you should see the huge fields of Ramadan tents they set up, they look like crazy luxury spa type things with flatscreen TVs and giant comfy couches and everything.

 

[hohoXD123]

Guess they were running out of things to be angry about. Come on now.

 

[TheSeks]

I seriously doubt the Prophet would have issues with people taking photos of themselves at "holy sites." But I'm not a Muslim, so what do I know?

Doesn't seem like it's crossing their one "no-no"/taking, making photos of the prophet to me.

I'm not against taking selfies, but keep in mind that it's VERY VERY crowded there during Hajj, literally millions of people from different backgrounds from all over the world in a small area. Stopping in the middle of the path to take a selfie will disrupt the flow.

I seriously doubt people are so self-absorbed that they'd stop in the middle of a moving and small crowd to take a selfie if they're being jostled around.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

What so special about it? I don't get it

I also don't get the selfie thing but I don't care. Let people do it if they like it. It's cool because I can make fun of people doing it.

That's not really how religion works. Especially the more restrictive ones.

 

[ronito]

Hey look at these people taking pics of themselves during an important event in their lives. The assholes.

 

[Mr-Joker]

Pfft the Cleric need to get over themselves, taking selfie is harmless compare to the things they could be doing.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

This isn't going to be a problem for the strict folk, is it?

 

[Mariolee]

You mean like a..Selfee?

I found this quite amusing and commend your wit. Good show, sir.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

"Taking such selfies and videos defy the wish of our prophet"

The fuck? That's in the book? I'm converting!

 

[akira28]

Hajj selfies are kind of cool.

Much preferable to "look, I am eating!" selfies.

Just don't get hit by a rock...

 

[AlexMeloche]

Love the second pic for some reason. Dude looks really happy

Yeah. It differs from all the duckfaces we usually see in selfies.

 

[Sub_Level]

On the list of infectious diseases, selfie culture is 99.99999% harmless so cool.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Bad taste and vanity in Mecca? No way!

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Nothing wrong with a couple of hot people taking pics of themselves.

 

[epmode]

Where all the Muslim women at?

 

[Lamel]

Lol, who cares. People have been taking photos in for a while now, my friend showed me a photo of him there and this was like 10 years ago. It's not a new thing.

 

[Rest]

Yeah, how dare these people document their devotion to their faith! It's not like religions have documents of the things their adherents did in the past. Uh, wait a minute...

 

[Prinz Eugn]

Bad taste and vanity in Mecca? No way!

just a modest largest clock in the universe bra

super necessary when you're hajj'n in from low earth orbit