A popular Muslim cleric from Earth’s most populous Muslim country is causing quite a stir due to public comments about the sinfulness of selfies. Felix Siauw of Indonesia warned his nearly 1.2 million followers on Twitter against the practice, saying that it opens the door to a multitude of sins.



First noticed by Coconuts Jakarta, the message came in the form of seventeen notes Siauw posted to his personal Twitter account. Siauw recommended that young people avoid taking selfies, and then put forward a number of arguments as to why. Here are a few of them alongside translations by Coconuts Jakarta:

3. bila kita selfie, mencari pose terbaik, memilih-memilah, lalu takjub dan kagum dengan diri kita | khawatir itu sudah termasuk UJUB — Felix Siauw (@felixsiauw) January 19, 2015

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

4. bila kita selfie lalu upload di medsos, berharap -desperately- di-komen, di-like, di-view atau apalah | kita sudah masuk perangkap RIYA — Felix Siauw (@felixsiauw) January 19, 2015

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

5. bila kita selfie, lalu merasa lebih keren, eksis, lebih baik dari orang lain | jatuhlah kita pada hal yang paling buruk yaitu TAKABBUR — Felix Siauw (@felixsiauw) January 19, 2015

If we take a selfie and we feel cooler and better than others – we’ve fallen into the worst sin of all, ARROGANCE

He then pointed the finger specifically at Muslim women who snap selfies, saying:

9. zaman ini banyak Muslimah tanpa malu selfie, satu foto 9 frame | dengan pose wajah yang -innalillahi-, dimana kemuliaan wanita? — Felix Siauw (@felixsiauw) January 19, 2015

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?

Siauw’s arguments against selfies didn’t sit well with selfie lovers in Indonesia. People responded by posting a torrent of selfies to social networks with the tag #Selfie4Siauw, causing it to become a trending topic in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Back in September 2013, India’s leading Islamic seminary sparked some controversy of its own after reportedly calling photography “unlawful and a sin.” The institution later clarified its stance, saying that it simply issues “religious advice” for people’s “personal use”.

(via Quartz)

Image credits: Selfie header photo by John Ragai