Saudi Arabia Appoints Ultraconservative Scholar as New Grand Mufti

Dubai, Oct 23 (AP) — Late Wednesday, Saudi Arabia appointed an influential ultraconservative scholar as the nation's new grand mufti, the highest-ranking religious scholar in the kingdom.

Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, aged 90, has assumed this significant role upon the directive of King Salman, following a recommendation by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as reported by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Born on September 28, 1935, in Saudi Arabia's al-Qassim province, Sheikh Saleh devoted himself to the study of the Quran with a local imam following the passing of his father.

Having emerged as a leading scholar, Sheikh Saleh has reached the faithful through his "Noor ala al-Darb," or "Light the Way," radio show, numerous authored books, and appearances on television. His religious rulings, or fatwas, have also been disseminated via social media.

In the past, Western media has criticized Sheikh Saleh for certain controversial statements. In 2017, Human Rights Watch reported that when questioned about whether Sunni Muslims should consider Shiites as their “brothers,” Sheikh Saleh responded, "They are brothers of Satan," adding that Shiites "lie about God, his prophet, and the consensus of Muslims... There is no doubt about the unbelief of these” people.

Such statements from religious leaders in Saudi Arabia often surface amid ongoing political tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Sheikh Saleh additionally criticized Yemen's Houthi rebels for launching missiles towards sacred sites within the kingdom.

In 2003, Sheikh Saleh 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.” Furthermore, in 2016, he issued a fatwa banning the mobile game “Pokemon Go,” labeling it as a form of gambling. Interestingly, under Crown Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia now holds substantial interests in Nintendo and in Niantic's gaming division, the creators of “Pokemon Go.”

Sheikh Saleh steps into the role following the September passing of Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, who served as the grand mufti for 25 years.

The al-Sheikh family, recognized as descendants of Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul-Wahhab, traditionally held the position of grand mufti. Sheikh Mohammed's strict interpretations of Islam from the 18th century, commonly referred to as “Wahhabism,” have significantly influenced the kingdom, particularly since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which prompted Saudi Arabia to adopt a more conservative trajectory.

Serving as grand mufti, Sheikh Saleh assumes a critical role as one of the foremost Islamic clerics among Sunni Muslims. With Saudi Arabia hosting the paramount Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina and facilitating the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the proclamations of the grand mufti carry considerable weight.

Amid these developments, Saudi Arabia has been gradually liberalizing under King Salman's leadership, exemplified by allowing women to drive and reopening movie theatres as the nation endeavors to diversify its oil-centric economy.

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