A top Saudi cleric has banned people from taking photographs amid a surge of cat owners posing for selfies with their pets.
Sheikh Saleh Bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan made the declaration when asked about a “new trend” among those “who want to be like westerners".
Speaking in a televised broadcast, when asked about the surge in popularity of cat selfies, he replies: “What? What do you mean pictures with cats? Taking pictures is prohibited.
“The cats don't matter here."
As he continues to field questions from people about the pictures, he responds: “Explain this trend to me.”
He then adds: “Taking pictures is prohibited if not a necessity not with cats, not with dogs, not with wolves, not with anything."
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The clip has appeared on YouTube after it was translated into English by monitoring group the Middle East Media Research Institute.
According to Fatwaislam.com, the cleric has previously ruled people cannot take pictures with mobile phones, unless "completely necessary".
He claimed that according to religious law the "picture-maker would be cursed".