Muslim mamas, I've got a stupid question

[Tigerchild]

Our family is going to an iftar on Wednesday that's being held by our hometown muslim community. It won't offend most people if I bring a camera so I can take pictures of our kids enjoying the event will it? I am pretty sure not (and of course I would ask permission if I were to take a picture of anyone we didn't know, I can't imagine why I would though!). But I just wanted to ask because I don't want to be some clueless offensive person!

[angelpie545]

Not Muslim but I'm pretty sure it would be alright...I noticed you are in the same community as I am, and Muslims here tend to be pretty easy going. I think the "no picture" things is more of a cultural rather than Islamic belief.

[chimomma]

I think it depends on the person, some Muslims are against pictures, but you probably wouldn't run into any problems with that. My concern would be taking pictures of the women. Some Muslim women wouldn't mind at all, but some muslim women definitely would not want their picture taken. You might be able to judge by how conservatively they are covered, if in doubt avoid or ask. Hope you guys have a nice time.

[Liquesce]

The "no pictures" thing is a religious belief, but frankly not one that is commonly held/adhered to. And it has entirely to do with personal conduct, not what other people do. So either way it's fine. Nor do Muslim women tend to evade camera more than anyone else, regardless of dress.

[Amatullah0]

wanted to add: if its a situation where the women arent wearing hijab, they might feel uncomfortable with pictures being taken. as long as only you/your kids are in the pictures, you're fine! also, some women cover their face, and would probably be equally uncomfortable with being in a picture with their faces uncovered. have fun at the iftar!

[Tigerchild]

Thanks so much for your insights, ladies. I am so excited, it's tomorrow night.

[angelpie545]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

The "no pictures" thing is a religious belief, but frankly not one that is commonly held/adhered to. And it has entirely to do with personal conduct, not what other people do. So either way it's fine. Nor do Muslim women tend to evade camera more than anyone else, regardless of dress.

Really, wow I didn't know that it was religious; I was under the impression it was cultural. I'm curious now. Can someone explain this belief to me?

[Liquesce]

Um, there are a few things with that. There are saying from the prophet attributing sin to making images -- some restrict that to sculpture, others to any images made by hand, and others to images, period, including photography. There are sayings connecting image making to trying to imitate creation, which has led to long traditions of preferences against depicting people or animals in the visual arts (hence why so much of the history of Islamic art and design is centered on calligraphy, geometry, and florals). And there are also prophetic traditions attributing a level of sin to displaying images in the home -- again some in modern times include photography, others do not.

Some of the origins of this have to do with religious iconography and the traditions of idol-worship that were prevalent at the time, hence why there is so much difference of opinion now regarding non-religious imagery -- it's a matter of opinion as to whether the problem was more images in general or the way in which images were being used.