Selling children's programs that undermine moral values
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 21790 )
Q: It is not hidden from our distinguished scholars the intense ideological invasion that the Islamic and Arab ummah (the Muslim community) is facing, which aims at Westernization, at shaking the constants and foundations of the ummah, and at transferring the cultures, myths, and legends of the advanced world in all its forms and concepts to the peoples and individuals of this region, and even to draining the wealth of those peoples in exchange for obtaining those nonsense and myths. The Muslim child has had the largest share of this; he is exposed to a large, sweeping torrent of these foreign cultures, which he receives through the screen and satellite channels in what is called “cartoon films.” Commercial establishments, in cooperation with foreign companies, contribute to completing and activating the role of these channels by flooding the markets with types of goods specific to children—toys, tools, school bags, stickers, etc.—bearing the images, names, and logos of the cartoon characters in an attractive and enticing display.
Parents are driven to buy them under the pressure of their children, without paying attention to or caring about the effect of those logos, names, and images on the personality, culture, and interests of the children. What has spread in these days in a noticeable and dangerous way is “Pokémon,” the dubbed cartoon film that tells the story of strange, bizarre, and fictional creatures that perform superhuman feats, evolving and taking shape from one form to another. Then, expensive “Pokémon” products and goods were put on the market in the form of balls and cards with which children play, as well as sweets, stickers, bags, and school supplies bearing the images, logos, and forms that those characters reached after their evolution. The question is: What is the ruling on selling, buying, and exchanging these goods and products specific to this film and these characters? What is the guidance of the honorable shaykhs (scholars) regarding these products? And what is the ruling on watching such films? May Allah reward you with the best reward for us, for Islam, and for the Muslims, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
A: It is not permissible to sell or buy the goods and products specific to the aforementioned film; because that is consuming wealth by means of falsehood, and cooperating in sin and aggression, and raising children on frivolity and play, and promoting forbidden images, and other such prohibitions. Therefore, one must warn against this action and cooperating with it.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: It is not hidden from our distinguished scholars the intense ideological invasion that the Islamic and Arab ummah (the Muslim community) is facing, which aims at Westernization, at shaking the constants and foundations of the ummah, and at transferring the cultures, myths, and legends of the advanced world in all its forms and concepts to the peoples and individuals of this region, and even to draining the wealth of those peoples in exchange for obtaining those nonsense and myths. The Muslim child has had the largest share of this; he is exposed to a large, sweeping torrent of these foreign cultures, which he receives through the screen and satellite channels in what is called “cartoon films.” Commercial establishments, in cooperation with foreign companies, contribute to completing and activating the role of these channels by flooding the markets with types of goods specific to children—toys, tools, school bags, stickers, etc.—bearing the images, names, and logos of the cartoon characters in an attractive and enticing display.
Parents are driven to buy them under the pressure of their children, without paying attention to or caring about the effect of those logos, names, and images on the personality, culture, and interests of the children. What has spread in these days in a noticeable and dangerous way is “Pokémon,” the dubbed cartoon film that tells the story of strange, bizarre, and fictional creatures that perform superhuman feats, evolving and taking shape from one form to another. Then, expensive “Pokémon” products and goods were put on the market in the form of balls and cards with which children play, as well as sweets, stickers, bags, and school supplies bearing the images, logos, and forms that those characters reached after their evolution. The question is: What is the ruling on selling, buying, and exchanging these goods and products specific to this film and these characters? What is the guidance of the honorable shaykhs (scholars) regarding these products? And what is the ruling on watching such films? May Allah reward you with the best reward for us, for Islam, and for the Muslims, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
A: It is not permissible to sell or buy the goods and products specific to the aforementioned film; because that is consuming wealth by means of falsehood, and cooperating in sin and aggression, and raising children on frivolity and play, and promoting forbidden images, and other such prohibitions. Therefore, one must warn against this action and cooperating with it.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.