Saudi names Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as new grand mufti

Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan new Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia._11zon

Saudi Arabia has appointed prominent ultraconservative scholar Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as the kingdom’s new grand mufti — the country’s highest religious authority.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported late Wednesday that the appointment was made by King Salman on the recommendation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Sheikh Saleh, 90, succeeds Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, who served as grand mufti for 25 years until his death in September.

Born on September 28, 1935, in Saudi Arabia’s al-Qassim province, Sheikh Saleh studied the Quran with a local imam after his father’s death and later rose to prominence as a scholar through his long-running radio program “Noor ala al-Darb” (“Light the Way”), books, and television appearances. His religious edicts, or fatwas, are widely circulated on social media.

Sheikh Saleh has drawn criticism in the past for controversial remarks. Human Rights Watch cited him in 2017 for calling Shiite Muslims “brothers of Satan” and questioning their faith. He also condemned Yemen’s Houthi rebels for targeting holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

In 2003, he was quoted as saying, “Slavery is a part of Islam. Slavery is part of jihad, and jihad will remain as long as there is Islam.” In 2016, a fatwa attributed to him banned the mobile game Pokémon Go, calling it a form of gambling. Ironically, Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed now owns major stakes in Nintendo and Niantic, the game’s developer.

The new appointment breaks a long tradition of members of the al-Sheikh family — descendants of Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul-Wahhab — serving as grand mufti. The 18th-century cleric’s ultraconservative teachings, known as Wahhabism, have shaped Saudi religious doctrine for decades, particularly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The grand mufti is among the most influential Sunni clerics globally, and his rulings are closely watched given Saudi Arabia’s status as custodian of Islam’s two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.

While Saudi Arabia has moved toward social liberalization under King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed — allowing women to drive and reopening cinemas — the appointment of Sheikh Saleh signals the enduring influence of the kingdom’s conservative religious establishment.

Source: AP