Cleric issues fatwa on using Facebook’s 'Haha' emoji, know why

Fatwa has been issued against people using Facebook’s ‘Haha’ emoji by a prominent Muslim Bangladeshi cleric. He has termed it “totally haram (forbidden)” for Muslims. 

According to an AFP report, Bangladeshi cleric Maulana Ahmadullah has more than three million followers on Facebook and YouTube. He regularly appears on television shows to discuss religious issues in the Muslim-majority country.

On June 19, the cleric posted a three-minute video in which he talked about mocking people on Facebook and issued a fatwa. In the video, Ahmadullah said, “Nowadays we use Facebook’s 'haha' emojis to mock people. If we react with haha emojis purely out of fun and the same was intended by the person who posted the content, it’s fine. But if your reaction was intended to mock or ridicule people who posted or made comments on social media, it’s totally forbidden in Islam.”

He further added, “For God’s sake, I request you to refrain from this act. Do not react with ‘haha’ to mock someone. If you hurt a Muslim, he may respond with bad language that would be unexpected.” 

The video garnered more than 2 million views. Thousands of followers reacted to his video, most of them positively, although several hundred made fun of it — using the “haha” emoji.

According to the AFP report, Ahmadullah is among Bangladesh’s new crop of internet-savvy Islamic preachers who have drawn millions of followers online. Their commentaries on religious and social issues are hugely popular, drawing millions of views per video.