“Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious.” — Ayatollah Khomeini
“Iran’s Khamenei bans online chatting between unrelated men and women,” from Al Arabiya, January 7 (thanks to all who sent this in):
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a religious edict (fatwa) banning online chatting between unrelated men and men, Iranian media reported on Monday, quoting Khamenei’s website: www.khamenei.ir.
The ruling came in response to a question sent to the supreme leader on his Website. His answer was: “Given the immorality that often applies to this, it is not permitted.”
The ruling came days after Iranian authorities blocked WeChat, a popular messaging app that enables smart phone users to access online social networks.
The authorities in Tehran are sensitive to social media and have blocked access to many social networking websites, including Facebook and Twitter, used by activists to stage protests after the 2009 controversial presidential vote.
But many Iranian internet users are relying on proxies to circumvent the government censorship.
Ironically, many Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rowhani, have active Facebook and Twitter accounts.
President Rowhani, who has 163,000 followers on Twitter, has pledged to ease state “policing” of people’s private lives….
Were his fingers crossed when he said it?