As ridiculous as it sounds, there actually exists a ban on birthday parties in Saudi Arabia. However, not all of the country’s clerics agree on the matter, and hence a public debate rages on.
Hala al-Masaad, who recently celebrated her 18th birthday with cake and juice said she loves birthday parties because they make her feel she has "moved from one stage of life to another." "But I sometimes feel I'm doing something haram," she said sheepishly, using the Arabic word for banned. Saudi Arabia's most senior Muslim cleric, grand mufti and top religious authority, Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al Sheik, recently denounced birthday parties as an unwanted foreign influence, but another prominent cleric declared they were OK. Salman al-Audah, said on a popular satellite TV program last month that it was OK to mark birthdays and wedding anniversaries with parties as long as the Arabic word that describes the events -- "eid," meaning feast -- is not used. That prompted a quick denunciation by Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al Sheik, who said such celebrations have no place in Islam and gave a list of foreign customs he suggested were unacceptable. "Christians have Mother's Day, an eid for trees, and an eid for every occasion," said Al Sheik, who also heads the Presidency for Scientific Research and Religious Edicts, speaking to Al-Madina newspaper. "And on every birthday, candles are lit and food is given out." The ban on birthdays and other “Christian” customs comes from the strict interpretation of Islam adhered to by the conservative Wahhabi sect as well as the kingdom. Even the majority of Muslim feasts are banned. Only the Muslim feasts of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, which concludes the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, are permitted. Elsewhere in the Muslim world, including in Egypt, Dubai, Lebanon and Iran, people routinely celebrate birthdays, especially for children. Among middle class and affluent families, parties can be elaborate, with cakes, toys, clowns, ponies and many presents. In Egypt, Muhammad's birthday is celebrated by handing out special sweets -- in the shape of a doll for girls and a horse for boys. Even in Saudi Arabia, it's not hard to find Saudis who celebrate birthdays or stores that cater to putting on parties, despite the ban.
| Published in : Politics, World Politics |
| Keywords : Politics, World Politics, Birthdays Banned in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, Islam, Wahhabi, Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al Sheik, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al Sheikh, Al-Madina, Eid al-Fitr, Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, Salman al-Audah, Christian Web News |
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