Manama: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti has called for the sacking of a preacher after he harshly attacked fathers who allowed their daughters to study medicine or pharmacy or to study abroad, calling them “cuckolds.”
“The accusation is not at all acceptable and people have to respect the sanctity of mosques and the significance of the sermons,” Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh said.
“Those who fail to assume such a great responsibility should not be allowed to deliver sermons,” he said as he commented on a video clip in which preacher spoke against the fathers of girls studying medicine, a branch that promotes mixing with male students and later on with male practitioners.
Such a charge is dangerous and people have to be truly conscious of what they say, especially in mosques, he added.
“Preachers have to be truly religious and make sure that their sermons are words of wisdom and advice, have positive impact on their listeners and help them with their lives. They must not be used to divide people. Good manners are a must when talking with or about people. All imams should prepare their sermons carefully,” Al Shaikh said.
Saudis were furious after the clip was posted on social media and went viral on the Internet.
In the clip, Saeed Bin Farwa, talking about women, said that fathers were well aware that their daughters would upon their graduation from medicine or pharmacy colleges would work alongside men and would mix with them.
“I pray to God to paralyse anyone who allows the mixing of our daughters with men,” he said in his sermon.
“But the main culprit is the father who allows his daughter to go to a medical college and allows her to sit next to a man who often behaves in an effeminate manner. There is also the issue of sending daughters abroad on scholarships. How do you accept to let your daughter sit, flanked by two men, one American and one British, and talking to a male professor? We men, when we look at a beautiful woman, we like her. The same can happen with our daughters, sisters and wives. When they see a man who is more handsome than you, they will be attracted to him,” Bin Farwa told the men performing their Friday prayers in the mosque reportedly in the Asir region in the southwest part of the country.
However, Saudi officials said that the derogatory sermon was not new although it made it to the Internet this week..
Deputy Islamic Affairs Minister Tawfeeq Al Sudairi said that the derogatory sermon was delivered five years ago and that Bin Farwa was not on the ministry’s list of accredited preachers.
“He is known for imposing himself on others to deliver sermons and the ministry had reported him to the relevant authorities,” he said, quoted by news site Sabq. “He was arrested and he is currently serving a sentence. The ministry is very careful about endorsing preachers and puts them through an assessment test that they must pass and they also have to sit for the interview with a specialised commission. Following his appointment, another commission monitors his performance and ensures he is apt to assume the responsibility.”
Al Sudairi said that Saudi Arabia is home to 100,000 mosques, including 15,000 mosques where Friday sermons are delivered.
“The number of those who fail to live up to the standards is minimal and whenever it happens, the ministry steps in promptly to address the situation.”
An official from Asir told Sabq that they had received instructions not to allow Bin Farwa to deliver sermons or give speeches or lessons in any of the region’s facilities.
Bin Farwa was sentenced to 45 days in jail for criticising Saudi actor Nasser Al Qasbi last year, accusing him publicly of being a hypocrite.
