Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan has officially declared deepfakes forbidden from the perspective of Islamic Sharia, El.kz reports.
A decision that can no longer be postponed
The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan has issued a fatwa clearly outlining its position on the use of artificial intelligence technologies to create fake videos and audio recordings. This is not a private opinion of theologians, but a normative religious ruling.
The document appeared amid a sharp increase in fake videos, voice messages, and imitations of public statements. The fatwa emphasizes that the problem is no longer hypothetical and already affects public safety today.
What SAMK considers a violation
The text of the fatwa explains in detail that a deepfake is a technology through which words or actions are attributed to a person that never occurred in reality. The use of such tools, if they mislead people, is recognized as direct deception. From the perspective of Islamic Sharia, this is unacceptable regardless of the format.
SAMK specifically notes that Islam is not opposed to science or technological development as such. The prohibition applies not to the technology itself, but to its use for forgery, manipulation, and disinformation which contradicts fundamental religious principles.
The logic of the ban
The reasoning of the fatwa is built on simple and strict logic. A lie remains a lie even when it is created by a neural network. Substituting reality undermines trust between people and destroys social ties. The document stresses that such actions can damage reputations, provoke fear, and lead to serious consequences.
The emphasis, however, is placed not on punishment but on preventing the harm that deepfakes can cause to society.
Why “just for fun” is also unacceptable
A separate section of the fatwa addresses so-called harmless deepfakes. Even if content is created in a humorous format, it may be perceived as real. SAMK emphasizes that fear, panic, or reputational damage do not become less dangerous because of a joking presentation.
In Islamic legal tradition, even an illusory threat is considered a violation if it is capable of causing psychological or social harm. That is why the fatwa explicitly states that such experiments are unacceptable regardless of the creator’s intentions.
Why the issue has become urgent now
In Kazakhstan, the problem of deepfakes has already gone beyond the religious agenda. Scammers are actively using artificial intelligence to pose as well-known figures, executives, and relatives. Earlier, Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev publicly warned about the threat of deepfakes, pointing to the growing scale of digital manipulation.
Against this backdrop, the SAMK fatwa appears not as a reaction to a trend, but as an attempt to establish a moral boundary where technological capabilities are outpacing legal regulation.
Digital deception goes beyond deepfakes
In the same theological vein, SAMK has previously considered other forms of digital manipulation. Religious explanations emphasize that increasing followers through bots is a form of deception.
Sharia permits promoting pages through real advertising and attracting a genuine audience. However, purchasing fake followers is viewed as misleading people and gaining benefit through dishonest means. If the client consciously chooses this path, the degree of sin increases.
The logic is the same
Both deepfakes and bots operate on the same principle: they create the illusion of something that does not exist in reality. In Islamic tradition, such actions are equated with undermining public trust.
That is why SAMK draws a clear line between permissible technologies and digital practices based on forgery.
How religious institutions around the world are responding
The decision in Kazakhstan is not isolated. In the Islamic world, similar conclusions have previously been reached by religious councils in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, where deepfakes have also been recognized as a form of deception. The Vatican, in its statements on artificial intelligence, has emphasized that identity substitution and distortion of reality contradict human dignity.
Religious institutions across different traditions agree on one point: technology cannot justify lies, even if they appear convincing and technologically flawless.
What does it mean for believers
The SAMK fatwa establishes a simple but strict principle: the use of digital tools for deception, manipulation, or the creation of a false image of reality is unacceptable. This applies not only to deepfakes, but to all forms of artificial distortion of trust.