Muslim Cleric Calls Woman Taking Selfies 'Shameless', Women Rain Selfies in Outrage

A prominent Muslim cleric in Indonesia has become the subject of mass ridicule after he issued a fatwa declaring women who take selfies as 'shameless' and 'impure'.

Felix Siauw, the Indonesian Islamic cleric with over 1.1 million Twitter followers, triggered a rebellion of sorts in the largest Muslim nations of the world with his diktat. Siauw's call for the banning of women's selfies met with stiff resistance from women, who started a trending #Selfie4Siauw.

Hundreds of Indonesian woman have been posting their 'selfies' along with #Selfie4Siauw condemning the fatwa by the popular cleric.

Several others later joined the women to mock the cleric and have been posting selfies under #Selfie4Siauw. Some even have been posting funny animal pictures under the trending hashtag.

Siauw reportedly wrote on his Twitter: "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 added that the world has "fallen into the worst sin of all – arrogance... If we take a selfie and upload it on social media, desperately hoping for views, likes, comments or whatever – we've fallen into the OSTENTATIOUS trap."

The 30-year old cleric, who tweets under @felixsiauw, calls himself a person who seeks "the establishment of sharia-caliphate" and is a "servant of Allah".

Twitter Reactions

Haleluya! "@AyuMellisa: Selfie di hari Jumat, biar berkah selfienya. #selfie4siauw @acenghusni @alinursahid pic.twitter.com/bAKFAL9Tuj"

— Ihsan Ali-Fauzi (@ihsan_AF) January 30, 2015

W/ @angelawige @AndikaDia #Selfie4Siauw pic.twitter.com/3codDIpIR5 — Yak ! (@artiakimkim) January 30, 2015

From the Abendland with love ... WHAT!? Sinful! #Selfie4Siauw pic.twitter.com/Ni8lSw5L0N

— Alan Smithee (@Negation2010) January 29, 2015