Saudi Cleric Says That Birthday Parties Are Off Limits

I ask you...is there anyone in this world more Dark Age than the Saudis? The Wahhabi sect of islam that is prevalent in Saudi Arabia, not only bore the makings of bin Laden but basically chains its followers to a time when mohammed literally walked the earth. Look at what one Saudi cleric has said about birthday parties in the Saudi kingdom:

One such ruling, by the previous mufti, Sheik Abdul-Aziz bin Baz, said Muslims should not emulate the West by celebrating birthdays—even that of the Prophet Muhammed, which is marked in most other Middle Eastern countries as a holiday.
"It's not permissible to take part in them," he said. "Birthday parties are an innovation ... and people are in no need of innovations."

You really should read the full article from Breitbart to get the full grasp of these radical morons. But the fact of the matter is...as I have stated here ad nauseum that islam is NOT a religion, it is a political ideology and in that ideology, you have many interpretations - the Wahhabists have the most extreme and primitive of all interpretations and these maniacs are at the top of the U.S.'s "Arab friends" list!

I equate the Wahhabi brand of islam to another version of a political ideology and that being Naziism. In Hitler's era, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party consisted of some who literally only bought into the idea of German nationalism and unity and then, there were the radical and extremist factions of Naziism that believed in the racial superiority and German destiny and of course those were the driving force behind the concentration camps and the autrocities performed on Jews and gypsies and others. Thus, the Wahhabists are the concentration camp crowd of islam...and while I will argue that all islamists who buy into the Qur'an, buy into the evil of the ideology, the Saudis version takes every evil part of this ideology to new heights of decadence and medievality (is that a word?).

Don't let them eat cake, Saudi cleric says

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - When Hala al-Masaad invited her girlfriends over to celebrate her 18th birthday with cake and juice, the high school student was stepping into an unusual public debate. Is celebrating birthdays un-Islamic?
Saudi Arabia's most senior Muslim cleric recently denounced birthday parties as an unwanted foreign influence, but another prominent cleric declared they were OK.
That has left al-Masaad with mixed feelings about her low-key celebration last month. She loves birthday parties, she says, because they make her feel that 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.
The Saudi ban on birthdays is in line with the strict interpretation of Islam followed by the conservative Wahhabi sect adhered to in the kingdom. All Christian and even most Muslim feasts are also prohibited because they are considered alien customs the Saudi clerics don't sanction.
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, Prophet 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.
What makes the latest controversy notable is that it started when a prominent cleric, 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 Saudi Arabia's grand mufti and top religious authority, 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."
There is no question that the television remarks by al-Audah, who is not employed by the country's religious establishment, contradicted several fatwas, or religious edicts, issued by senior Saudi clerics over the years.
One such ruling, by the previous mufti, Sheik Abdul-Aziz bin Baz, said Muslims should not emulate the West by celebrating birthdays—even that of the Prophet Muhammed, which is marked in most other Middle Eastern countries as a holiday.
"It's not permissible to take part in them," he said. "Birthday parties are an innovation ... and people are in no need of innovations."
Still, some Saudis welcomed a loosening of the prohibition.
"Allowing such celebrations can be an element that can strengthen ties among people and contribute to an increase in the happy occasions in our society," wrote Ibrahim Ba-Dawood in a column in Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper.
Others, including several prominent Muslim scholars, issued statements backing the ban and denouncing al-Audah.