Alright, fine, this is hardly the first time Disney has been compared to Satan, but really? A fatwa? Against a smiling mouse with oversized shoes and gloves?In a world with an abundance of 'easy' targets (think young Hollywood), an eighty-year-old cartoon - yes, we're talking about a fictional drawing here, good sir - incurs your wrath, Sheikh Muhammad Munajid?
You could have at least picked Roger Rabbit. Then he would have had a legitimate reason to ask who framed him. You know, if he was real.
From the Daily Express:
Mickey Mouse is a soldier of satan and must die, says a Muslim
cleric.
Tom and Jerry have also incurred the wrath of Muhammad Munajid who fears they are corrupting Islamic youth.
The Saudi Arabian cleric also recently denounced the Beijing Games as the “bikini Olympics” because of the female athletes’ skimpy costumes which, he said, made Satan happy.
His fatwa – an Islamic ruling which can carry a death sentence – against the cartoon characters was made in a religious affairs programme on an Arab television network.
Asked about Islam’s teaching on mice, Mr Munajid, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington, said that both household mice – and their cartoon counterparts – have to be killed.According to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute, he said: “The mouse is one of Satan’s soldiers and is steered by him. If a mouse falls into a pot of food – if the food is solid, you should chuck out the mouse and the food touching it, and if it is liquid – you should chuck out the whole thing, because the mouse is impure.
“According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature. How do you think children view mice today – after Tom and Jerry?
“Even creatures that are repulsive by nature, by logic and according to Islamic law, have become wonderful and are loved by children. Even mice. Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases.”
But this may be easier said than done. Mickey has survived countless attempts on his life since he first appeared in the cartoon Steamboat Willie in 1928 while Jerry has been fending off Tom’s murderous attacks since 1940.
I also particularly enjoyed the term "bikini Olympics". They made Satan happy, did they? How can you be sure, Mr. Munajid? Had tea with the great red, horned beast recently? You sure it wasn't just you who was happy? Based on media coverage, I hadn't even realized there were any athletes other than Michael Phelps in this year's Olympics...
