Mickey Mouse has been known to gather the odd adversary here and there in recent years but Sheikh Muhammad Munajid in Saudi Arabia has stated this week that lovable Mickey is undoubtedly "one of Satan's soldiers"
It has been claimed also by the Sheikh that Mickey Mouse makes "everything he touches impure." Perhaps this statement is merely confirming the great divide between East and West, yet in this particular instance, it was not Western society taking a battering. Only Mr Mouse.
The cleric had also said that he believed that Mickey Mouse, and even Jerry in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, have led children to believe that the animal was lovable.
The spokesperson, who also once been a diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC, also stated that under Sharia law, all mice, including household mice and even those found on screen, must be destroyed.
The thoughts of
Mr Munajid became apparent when he featured on an Islamic TV channel talking about the laws on mice and how they are viewed in Islamic teachings. Through translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute, the statement read:
"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."
The cleric has also said recently that he had condemned the Beijing Olympics in China as being "the bikini Olympics." This comment referred to his thoughts that he believed that it delighted Satan to watch female athletes in "skimpy outfits."
