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| Arabia |
| Cleric condemns 'evil' camel beauty contests |
| 2007-11-08 |
| A LEADING authority of Saudi Arabia's hardline school of Islam has condemned camel beauty contests as evil, saying those involved should seek repentance in God. Camel pageants have become major events in the desert kingdom in recent years as tribes hold ever larger competitions, with bigger prizes and wider publicity. Delicate females or strapping males which attract the right attention during a show can sell for more than a million riyals (about $267,000). Sponsors spent 10 million riyals on prizes for one competition this year. “Everyone must repent of these acts from which no good can come because of its evils, and they should beg forgiveness from God,” said a fatwa, or religious ruling, issued this week by Sheikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak and a lesser-known sheikh. “Millions of riyals are spent on buying camels just to feel proud and not for the reasons God created camels, like for food, drink, riding and work,” he said, attacking the contests as a backward tribal custom from pre-Islamic Arabia. Commentators have pointed to camel contests as a sign of increasing tribal pride, seen as a threat to stability in the kingdom established by the Saudi royal family in 1932. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 Why does that song 'My Humps' keep rattling through my head...out, dammit! |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2007-11-08 18:48 |
| #5 Is there a swimsuit competition? |
| Posted by: Sgt. D.T. 2007-11-08 17:48 |
| #4 I think we're talking naughty camels here. |
| Posted by: Titus Hayes 2007-11-08 16:54 |
| #3 Cleric condemns 'evil' camel beauty contests Are those beauty contests for evil camels? Like in, your camel has to be badly behaved in order to enter? |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-11-08 13:36 |
| #2 tu3031, I loved the snarky remark. I take it gets rather cold and lonely out amongst the dunes. A camel shows a bit more skin then the women. |
| Posted by: Delphi 2007-11-08 13:04 |
| #1 “Millions of riyals are spent on buying camels just to feel proud and not for the reasons God created camels, like for food, drink, riding and work,” Leave something out there, Shecky? You know what I'm talkin about... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-11-08 12:52 |