Experts in the Kingdom continue locking horns regarding the Saudi school curriculum, as they are trying to reach middle ground as to what is acceptable in Islam and what is not, such as the images in text books.

According to Monotheism, which is taught to 12th grade students, photography is prohibited, while science book have plenty of images of humans and animals to explain anatomy.

Students can see this stark contradiction when they read the Monotheism textbook, since in its pages, scholars strongly condemn the use of photography.

“Taking photographs of living things, such as humans and animals, is forbidden, but taking photographs of tress and mountains is allowed,” the book states.

The textbook also discusses sculpting and abstract art, describing them as major sins, and only allowing photography which is highly required for official documents, including the passport and ID cards.

Local media monitored a fatwa for the permanent committee of the Council of Senior Scholars, prohibiting photography in all its forms. The committee excluded some exceptional cases such as the national ID card or the passport. The argument comes at a time when smartphones are the prevailing method of communication. Statistics show that Saudis rank four in the use the Instagram.

Hassan bin Safar, prominent member of Islamic Fiqh Academy, said scholars differ in this case, with some allowing it while others prefer to limit it to official documents and education.

Safar beliefs photography is allowed but it shouldn’t be taken as a form of entertainment.