['Aalim Network QR] Video games, romantic & horror novels

[Ummulbanin <workshop@popmail.dircon.co.uk>]

________________________________________________________________________
|                          w           w     w                          |\
|                           ||          ||   | ||                       |\
|                    o_,_7 _||  . _o_7 _|| 4_|_||  o_w_,                |\
|                   ( :   /    (_)    /           (   .                 |\
|                                                                       |\
|           ||  ||         |  ||   |T              |     | ||    |      |\
|   . _, _8 |_D_|| . _,_,_,_D_|| 4_|| q ]_o_7_o   _|_c 4_|_||   _|,_p q |\
|  (_): /         (_): . :            /        (_S           (_S      / |\
|                                                                       |\
|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
|_______________________________________________________________________|\
Assalamu 'Alaykum
The following questions were answered by Mulla Asgher.

Salaams & Duas
Ummulbanin Merali - Moderator - 'Aalim Network
********************************************************************************
QUESTIONS:

I would like to have the following questions answered preferably with
references for those like myself who do the taqleed of Ayatullah Khamenai.

1a) Is it haram for children (or anyone for that matter) to play video games
which may have a violent content?

b) Is it haram to read a newspaper, magazine..or watch a video if it has
un-Islamic pictures?  (The intention is not to look at haram things)

c) Is it haram to read romantic novels and literature relating to that?

d) Is it haram to watch or read anything which is scary? e.g.horror novels,
movies...

ANSWER:
Before answering your wuestions, may I clarify that the answers given by me
here are not strictly the fatawa of Ayatullah Khamenai (May Allah keep him).
They represent a general consensus of the great mujtahideen of the past and
present.

It is not haram for children or anyone to play violent video games, nor is
it haram to read newspapers havinf un-Islamic matter or pictures. Similarly,
it is not haram to read romantic novels, nor is it haram to watch anything
which is scary or horrific. 

May I be permitted to add that if it is feared that such literature, movies
or games may have an adverse effect on the tender minds, they should be avoided.

Wassalaam
Asgherali M M Jaffer