#Trending: Saudi Arabia arrests religious preacher over anti-government tweet
Saudi Arabian social media has reported that a preacher has been detained after he publicly opposed the restructuring of the country's religious police to a more "kind and gentle" force.
2 min read
25 Apr, 2016
The religious police have come under increasing criticism for their often harsh law-enforcement [Twitter]]
Saudi social media has been buzzing with reports that a well-known Islamic preacher has been arrested for comments he made against the government's recent decision to restrict the role of the kingdom's notorious religious police.
Sheikh Abdel Aziz al-Tarifi was reportedly taken in for questioning by authorities on Saturday, days after he tweeted a series of scathing comments implying the Saudi royal family were "infidels" for stripping the religious police of much of its power.
"There are some rulers who think that renouncing their religion to satisfy infidels will put an end to the pressures on them. The more they take one step down, the more they push hum to take further steps until they will end up the same religion as them," Tarifi tweeted out to his almost 900,000 followers on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the government issued new guidelines for the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice - commonly known as the religious police - scaling back their powers to a more "observational" role after long-running complaints of brutality, intimidation and humiliation.
The 39-year-old cleric, who is not a member of the official conservative religious establishment, has slammed the move, claiming it completely stamps out the role of the religious police force.
The force has come under increasing criticism in recent years for its often harsh and unforgiving approach to law enforcement, which went unchallenged by Riyadh for decades.
In response to the arrest, much of the Saudi Twittersphere has expressed support for Tarifi, using the Arabic language hashtag #TheArrestOfSheikhTarifi.
"Sheikh Tarifi is an eminent scholar and symbol of reform... His arrest marks the beginning of new area where religious reformers will be made powerless," said Syria-based Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdallah al-Muhaysini who is affiliated with al-Qaeda's Nusra Front franchise in Syria.
Hakim al-Mutairi, the leader of the Kuwaiti opposition Islamist Ummah Party - himself recently arrested for insulting Saudi Arabia - also condemned the arrest.
"If wise advice and excellent preaching did not prevent Tarifi's arrest and his status as a religious scholar was not respected then the authorities think the road towards religious reform is a dead end," Mutairi said.
Shiekh Salman al-Ouda said on Sunday he had received a message from Tarifi that he was being held by authorities in "suitable place" to discuss several issues.
No official comment confirming or denying the arrest has yet been issued.
Sheikh Abdel Aziz al-Tarifi was reportedly taken in for questioning by authorities on Saturday, days after he tweeted a series of scathing comments implying the Saudi royal family were "infidels" for stripping the religious police of much of its power.
"There are some rulers who think that renouncing their religion to satisfy infidels will put an end to the pressures on them. The more they take one step down, the more they push hum to take further steps until they will end up the same religion as them," Tarifi tweeted out to his almost 900,000 followers on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the government issued new guidelines for the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice - commonly known as the religious police - scaling back their powers to a more "observational" role after long-running complaints of brutality, intimidation and humiliation.
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| The religious police has been barred from making arrests [Getty] |
| Read more: Saudi religious police told to 'look, not touch' |
The 39-year-old cleric, who is not a member of the official conservative religious establishment, has slammed the move, claiming it completely stamps out the role of the religious police force.
The force has come under increasing criticism in recent years for its often harsh and unforgiving approach to law enforcement, which went unchallenged by Riyadh for decades.
In response to the arrest, much of the Saudi Twittersphere has expressed support for Tarifi, using the Arabic language hashtag #TheArrestOfSheikhTarifi.
"Sheikh Tarifi is an eminent scholar and symbol of reform... His arrest marks the beginning of new area where religious reformers will be made powerless," said Syria-based Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdallah al-Muhaysini who is affiliated with al-Qaeda's Nusra Front franchise in Syria.
Hakim al-Mutairi, the leader of the Kuwaiti opposition Islamist Ummah Party - himself recently arrested for insulting Saudi Arabia - also condemned the arrest.
"If wise advice and excellent preaching did not prevent Tarifi's arrest and his status as a religious scholar was not respected then the authorities think the road towards religious reform is a dead end," Mutairi said.
Shiekh Salman al-Ouda said on Sunday he had received a message from Tarifi that he was being held by authorities in "suitable place" to discuss several issues.
No official comment confirming or denying the arrest has yet been issued.
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