After Big Ramy's victory at Mr. Olympia, Egypt's Islamic preacher banned bodybuilding!

Over the course of this year, the popularity of Egyptian bodybuilder Mamdouh Elssbiay, or Big Ramy, has skyrocketed. This is also thanks to the fact that for the second time he became the winner of the largest and most prestigious bodybuilding competition in the world - Mr. Olympia. However, not everyone agrees and is a fan of the sport. Despite the fact that Big Ramy has received a warm welcome back home in Egypt, the Egyptian Islamic preacher Abdullah Rushdy issued a fatwa (a religious-legal statement in Islam) that bans bodybuilding for Islamic believers. Although Rushdy does not mention Ramy by name, it is interesting that this opinion came just weeks after the Egyptian's victory at Mr. Olympia and his big celebration in his homeland. So, in the future, it will be very interesting to see how the great Ramy himself takes on this issue and if his love for the sport is greater than any commandment.

Abdullah Rushdy explained his fatwa decision on Twitter and in more detail on Facebook.

Loosely translated:

"I AM NOT SAYING NO TO SPORTS, BUT SHARIA RULES SHOULD BE RESPECTED WHEN DOING SO... AWRAH FOR MEN INCLUDES THE PARTS OF THE BODY BETWEEN THE NAVEL AND THE KNEES AND FOR WOMEN IT IS THE WHOLE BODY EXCEPT THE FACE AND HANDS."

"I ADVISE YOUNG MEN NOT TO PRACTICE BODYBUILDING BECAUSE OF THIS, AND WOMEN SHOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY COMPETITION THAT REQUIRES THEM TO SHOW PARTS OF THEIR BODY."

لا يجوز للرجل المشاركة في بطولات #كمال_الأجسام التي يُشْتَرَطُ للمشاركةِ فيها إبداءُ شيءٍ من العورة التي أمره الشرعُ بسترها.
مارسْ من الرياضةِ ما شِئتَ دونَ أن تَخرِقَ ضوابطَ الشرعِ الشريف.

— عبدالله رشدي (@abdullahrushdy) October 11, 2021

Source: Twitter, Facebook