A senior Saudi cleric has banned people from taking pictures with cats and says taking photos in general is prohibited.
Speaking in a televised broadcast, Sheikh Saleh Bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan was asked about "a new trend of taking pictures with cats" which "has been spreading among people who want to be like the Westerners".
The sheikh initially appears incredulous, asking: "What?! What do you mean pictures with cats?"
He then declares: "Taking pictures is prohibited. The cats don't matter here."
When asked again about the "new trend", he says: "Explain this trend to me.
"Taking pictures is prohibited if not for a necessity - not with cats, not with dogs, not with wolves, not with anything."
The video was shared on YouTube in April then translated and released by the Washington DC-based Middle East Media Research Institute.
Another video released by the group showed a Saudi family therapist giving his advice on wife beating.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti issued a fatwa declaring chess was forbidden in Islam.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah said the game "brings enmity and hatred between its contestants" and is forbidden because it "encourages gambling and is a waste of time and finances".
