This Is No Joke: New Fatwa Prohibits Building Snowmen in Saudi Arabia

A Saudi cleric decreed that building snowmen and snow camels is not acceptable in Islam. Many saw the fatwa (religious edict), by Mohamed Saleh Al Minijed, as a kill joy, particularly after Saudis in the northern part of the country started sharing photographs of their artistic snow creations online.

According to the fatwa, published on Al Minijed’s webpage, all those who make sculptures would be punished. He says snowmen are forbidden because they try to “replicate human beings, with eyes, a nose and a head.” He adds that if people insist on building snowmen, then they should be headless.

The fatwa concludes:

“It is forbidden to make sculptures out of snow, even if it is for fun and entertainment. God has given people a choice to build whatever they want, provided it is without a soul, like trees, ships, fruit, buildings and the like.”

Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran is quick to remind us that this same clergyman had actually earlier called for killing Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse.

That was back in 2008, when Minijed called for killing all rodents, including Mickey Mouse, during a television interview.