Saudi cleric says celebrating birthdays un-Islamic

Friday 05th September, 03:32 PM JST

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Nessie at 11:47 PM JST - 5th September

Saudi Arabia’s most senior Muslim cleric recently denounced birthday parties as an unwanted foreign influence

Sounds like someone's not ageing too gracefully.
Patrick Smash at 12:01 AM JST - 6th September

I'm quite happy for Muslims to give up being born completely if this is how they feel about it.
presto345 at 12:23 AM JST - 6th September

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. They also have the least eccentric and most tolerant Muslim population. Celebrating a birthday is human, religious and thanking God for life. Saudi Arabia’s most senior Muslim cleric, what's his name?, has his work cut out for him in restricting and forbidding un-islamic behavior in his country. He'd better start at eradicating THE trace of western behavior: trading the fruits of the earth which belong to all man for profit. The Koran, Talud, Bible all prohibit this. Good bye, Saudia Arabia.
TheNewZen at 12:48 AM JST - 6th September

Austria also has a very large muslim (and jewish/both pre and post WWII) population and we got cited as a model for their integration.

I remember when the Vienna Goverment build a mosque for them, big hubblah about unbelievers doing it/etc/yaddah. When it was finished they found it fit 110% their rules and beliefs.

In short they integrated well as we are open to most religions and faiths. heck we got a jewish synagoge right next to a russian orthodox church.

Myself worked with Muslims and many other faiths and they are just like us, just want to raise their families, etc.

Eye-opener for me was during the gulf-war(1st) and listening to my muslim co-workers. Their sons(teens and uni guys) wanted to join the jihad and asked for guns/planes,　etc to kill the US infidels. Their parents/co-workers slapped them and told them to ease off as violence is not the answer. Nor would they know which end of the gun goes towards the enemy.

In short the majority of the guys/gals are just like us prefering to avoid confrontation/violence.

Also many forget that Islam is the third religion after Judeo-christan, they also follow the testaments, etc but accept jesus as prophet same way as christians accept moses, etc.

In short all 3 religions pray to the same god, yeah scripture interpretations vary. But all 3 religions are part of the same parcel.

Dons asbestos suit.
ca1ic0cat at 02:25 AM JST - 6th September

"....are an innovation ... and people are in no need of innovations.”

Thus the decline of science and mathematics in the Arab world and the general subjuation of the whole lot by the British and French during the colonial period. And these guys wonder why they are behind every other culture in the world?

I'll give you a hint - when you throw out half the brainpower in a country because of ridiculous rulings on what is allowed in a religion you are well down the path to the bottom.

Andhappy birthday to the bum as well!
sdmsec at 02:29 AM JST - 6th September

If I'm correct, Jahova's don't celebrate birthdays either. more reason to ban religion.

Skip,

I never heard of the JW's having a police force hired to enforce this behavior on their own believers or on non-believers. Can you see the difference?

Your own behavior is driven by some set of core beliefs. Whether those beliefs spring from an organized religion or some other source there shouldn't be a government-sponsored ban. You seem to advocate the flip-side of the Saudi coin. They want to dictate religious behavior by force, and you want to dictate secular behavior by force.
goodDonkey at 03:25 AM JST - 6th September

I think it is just another fundie way of repressing people. They fundies do it in all religions. I think an argument could be made not to act prideful in your celebration and by that I mean an excessive ego. I am a secular humanist but I find quite a bit of value in religion/spirituality when it is centered around family and community and builds bonds in both those respects. I am all too familiar with religions that have control as their main interest. I am impressed when I see a person's behavior to be stellar and if they credit their religion as the source I tend to believe that they have found a good community.
yabits at 05:20 AM JST - 6th September

That was a thought-provoking post, goodDonkey.

My sense is that as a person becomes more truly spiritual, the "baggage" of the material world starts to lose its appeal. So many of the man-made holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, birthdays, are about little more than commerce and consumption. For the quasi-religious to ban these practices in order to force on people "religious" behavior, however, is a bit like forcibly shaking a dog's tail in order to compel it to be happy.

(Yes, Christmas is a man-made holiday, as is Easter -- named after the pagan god of fertility, Ishtar -- hence the rabbits and eggs.)
tclh at 06:27 AM JST - 6th September

Somebody should check if guns,bombs,cars,tv,phones,pictures..all civilized products are un- Islamic or not? Birth day celebration is just a fun thing to do; if you feel fun do it, if you feel it is "mendokusai" then do not bother.
DXXJP at 08:01 AM JST - 6th September

First this is one guys voice. Second I dont see it in today's papers yet.

Another thing is I can go to the local shopping center and buy anything for a birthday party right off the shelf, yes candles, hats, confetti and the lot. I can also go down the street to the bakery and buy a birthday cake. I can even do this in almost any supermarket with a bakery.

You all talk like this guy is a loon and rightly so but look at yourselves for a moment. You all seem to follow the teachings of dubya and sarge.
skipthesong at 09:05 AM JST - 6th September

You all seem to follow the teachings of dubya and sarge." No, I'm following common sense. There is no god above me. Religion is an outdated method of controlling people. I hate GWB for even mentioning support faith based programs with tax money. He should have been impeached then for that.

I even told my mother to leave her chicken head cutting religion at the door
Nessie at 09:36 AM JST - 6th September

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. They also have the least eccentric and most tolerant Muslim population

I think that actually would be a country without a Muslim majority, in line with the comment from TheNewZen. For countries with a Muslim majority it would probably be Malaysia. If I recall correctly, Indonesia was where they had major mob violence against Chinese about ten years ago.

If this religious leader wants to instruct his followers in this way, fine, as long as he doesn't use it as a pretense to promote hate.
goodDonkey at 02:20 PM JST - 6th September

i don't practice santeria. i ain't got no crystal ball...
mar4eO at 03:06 PM JST - 6th September

I can also go down the street to the bakery and buy a birthday cake. I can even do this in almost any supermarket with a bakery.

You got real stones!
WilliB at 06:37 PM JST - 6th September

Gooddonkey:

" I think it is just another fundie way of repressing people. They fundies do it in all religions. "

No, fundies don´t do that in all religions. Christian and Buddhists fundies can go to a monestary and not bother you. The drive submit the entire world under brutal Shariah laws by force is a typical islamic characteristic. Remember, islam means "submission".