Darul Uloom Seminary of Deoband has issued Fatwa against watching Cartoons on TV calling it un-Islamic and against Sharia Law.  According to Senior cleric Mufti Arif Quasmi “A cartoon is a picture. Besides, it is not for the children. It should not be watched. Further, Making pictures and keeping them at home was najayaz (illegitimate or wrongful).”  He said watching cartoons “caused more harm than benefitâ€.
The Darul Uloom had earlier issued a fatwa against Muslims watching TV calling the device haraam (sinful).
According to a report in DNA,  in an answer to a question posted on the Darul Ifta website from Pakistan, the muftis have ruled that since cartoons are “live picturesâ€, watching them is not acceptable under Islam.
However, this Fatwa has attarcted sharp criticism from other Muslim Scholars and clerics.
“I don’t think the muftis who issued the fatwa have any knowledge of the subject or have applied their mind to understanding the art of cartoons at all,†says All India Muslim Personal Law Board member and Lucknow’s Shahi Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali. He said there was no vulgarity in cartoons and that there was nothing wrong in children watching them for “refreshmentâ€.
“The Darul Uloom should focus on more basic problems of the Muslims, like girls’ education and wrongful talaq rather than issuing such frivolous decrees,†All India Muslim Women’s Personal Law Board president Shaista Amber said. She said cartoons were a source of entertainment for children and there was nothing wrong with watching them.