In northern Saudi Arabia, citizens braved the cold during a rare snowfall to build snow-camels. Some of them constructed traditional camels, while others dressed them up for their favorite sports teams.
Fatwa banning building snowmen in Saudi Arabia triggers heated debate online http://t.co/tx3a10Qirf pic.twitter.com/Vg2oPKfrSo — Gulf News (@gulf_news) January 12, 2015
Saudi Arabian religious scholar reportedly issues fatwa against building snowmen http://t.co/VObRoIrytL pic.twitter.com/qIYxoU8sXW — Rodney Kellermann (@r_kellermann) January 12, 2015
A religious scholar in Saudi Arabia reportedly issued a fatwa against building snowmen and snow animals in the country, saying it goes against Islam.
Mohammad Saleh Al Minjed said people may not build any snowmen or snow models of animals, Gulf News reported. He said that any snow replica of a living being--even if it is for fun--is not allowed. Saudis can build lifeless (read: boring) things, such as fruit and buildings.
"We have snow for fleeting days, maybe even hours, and there is always someone who wants to rob us of the joy and the fun," he posted. "It seems that the only thing left for us is to sit down and drink coffee," said Mishaal, an angry blogger.