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Egyptians react to new app bringing dead to life

A new application that allows the animation of pictures of the deceased caused controversy among religious institutions in Egypt.
A man walks past tombstones in the poor neighborhood of the City of the Dead, which houses more than half a million people living inside the graveyard, Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 13, 2016.

Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta issued a statement March 13 commenting on the newly launched mobile application My Heritage, which animates photos of deceased persons.

“The Islamic Sharia has allowed the use of entertainment and recreation means since they are necessary for destressing and relief of tension, which is necessary for the people's well-being, provided that such means do not entail sarcasm or bad manners,” the statement said.

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