Article: Clerical errors in the name of God

Article from:
New Statesman
Article date:
April 28, 2008
Author:
Copyright

Beliefs

News that an ageing cleric has issued a death fatwa against two Saudi intellectuals does not surprise me. The religious hierarchy in Saudi Arabia has no redeeming features. Its hallmarks are fanaticism, misogyny and xenophobia, with a strong accent on conformity and absolutism. Like the Inquisition, it moves rapidly to suppress any signs of dissent or independent thinking.

The cleric is the widely revered Sheikh AbdulRahman al-Barrak. He does not represent the religious voice of the government but his aspirations are shared by many religious scholars in the kingdom. The sheikh was incensed by articles in al-Riyadh by Yousef Abaal-Khail and Abdullah bin B ejad al-Otaibi arguing for a ...

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