World / Bangladeshi cleric issues fatwa against Facebook's 'Haha' emoji, calls it 'haram'

Dhaka: A prominent Muslim Bangladeshi cleric issued a fatwa against people using Facebook’s ‘haha’ emoji, calling it “totally haram” for Muslims.

The cleric posted a three-minute video in which he talked about the mocking of people on Facebook.

Nowadays, we use Facebook’s haha emojis to mock people, said the cleric adding that if someone reacts with haha emojis purely out of fun and the same is also intended by the person who posted the content, then it's fine. However, if the reaction was intended to mock or ridicule people, it’s totally forbidden in Islam, he said.

The video garnered more than 2 million views 

The video posted by the cleric Ahmadullah, who has a huge online following on Facebook and YouTube,  garnered more than two million views.

“For God’s sake, I request you to refrain from this act. Do not react with ‘haha’ to mock someone. If you hurt a Muslim, he may respond with bad language that would be unexpected,” he said.

Ahmadullah has more than three million followers on Facebook and YouTube and regularly appears on television shows to discuss religious issues in the Muslim-majority nation.

Netizens mock fatwa with ‘haha’ emoji

Thousands of people reacted to his video, with several hundred making fun of it using the ‘haha’ emoji.

Ahmadullah is among Bangladesh’s new crop of internet-savvy Islamic preachers who have drawn millions of followers online, reported AFP.

Religious commentaries on religious and social issues by these new-age Islamic preachers are hugely popular on social media platforms attracting millions of views per video. At the same time, many have gained notoriety for their bizarre claims on the origin of the coronavirus.

A few are accused of preaching hatred, while several have turned into instant celebrities for their fun-filled videos.