This isn’t the first time that religious leaders have found fault with selfies. Last year, scholars and clerics criticized Muslims who were documenting their annual pilgrimage to Mecca—also known as the “hajj selfie.”

Siauw’s comments provoked a backlash in Indonesia, where smartphones and social networks are hugely popular. Men and women have been tweeting photos of themselves under the hashtag #selfie4siawu. And the influence of a single cleric may not outweigh the pro-selfie forces—especially since Indonesian president Joko Widodo is a noted selfie fan.

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