Deoband bans Muslim women from sharing selfies on Facebook, Whatsapp

Freedom of Muslim women in the country was curtailed further by the Darul Uloom Deoband when it imposed a ban on Muslim women uploading their photos, including selfies, on social media platforms.

Darul Iftaa, the fatwa factory of Darul Uloom Deoband, issued a fatwa in this regard saying that Muslim women uploading and posting their pictures on Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter was ‘unislamic’.

The fatwa was issued when a Muslim man sought to know if his wife can post and upload her pictures on social media. In response to the question, Darul Iftaa opined that Islam does not allow Muslim women to show their faces in public.

“Islam does not allow Muslim women to be photographed. Uploading and posting their picture on Facebook, Whatsapp etc is against the tenets of Islam and Sharia. They are not allowed to show their faces to other males,” said Mufti Tarikh Qashmi.

Mufti Qashmi further said that the trend among Muslim girls and women to put up their photos on social media is increasing in the country and should be stopped immediately as it violates Islamic laws.

He asked community members to ensure that girls strictly wear a hijaab and women wear a burqa and they should not be allowed to put up their pictures on social media.

The Darul Iftaa had issued another fatwa a few days ago to ban Muslim women from plucking, trimming, shaping eyebrows and cutting hair. The fatwa had also directed Muslim women to stay away from beauty parlours as Islam does not permit them to wear lip-stick and make-up attracting other male members.