Government accused of using radical preachers ‘to justify injustice’
A sermon by a Saudi preacher in which he claimed it is un-Islamic to disobey rulers even if they are unjust and corrupt has stirred controversy, with the opposition accusing the government of using “fundamentalist preachers to stifle democracy.”
09 Mar 2016, 9:00 AM
A sermon by a Saudi preacher in which he claimed it is un-Islamic to disobey rulers even if they are unjust and corrupt has stirred controversy, with the opposition accusing the government of using “fundamentalist preachers to stifle democracy.”
Assim al-Hakeem, a government sponsored preacher, delivered a sermon at the Friday prayers at the Islamic Center, the city’s main mosque, warning Muslims against disunity.
He said: “The prophet told us to obey the leader even if he was unfair, even if he was unjust, even if he was favoring his own family, like most rulers all over the world, his cousins, his uncles, his brothers, they’re the close ones they’re the rich ones.
“Nevertheless, Islam tells you, obey, listen. How can we listen, if he’s taking out money if he’s doing transgression? Your prophet, who you want to be with in Jannah [paradise], said you have to obey him, even if he flogs your back, if he hits you and takes your money, obey him!
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