Radio Islam and Agencies | 22 November 2016

Saudi police have arrested an expat agricultural engineer in Riyadh who offended Muslim sentiments by posting a doctored photo of the Kaaba on social media. The accused is an Indian national who works on a farm in Tameer district of Al-Majmaah region of Saudi Arabia.

Col. Fawaz Al-Maiman, spokesman for Riyadh police, said the Criminal Investigation Department managed to arrest the non-Muslim Indian expat who is in his 40s and works as an agricultural engineer.

“He offended the sentiments of Muslims by posting on social media the photo of a Hindu deity sitting atop the Holy Kaaba. His act triggered a social media outcry and condemnation,” said Col. Al-Maiman.

The Criminal Investigation Department identified the offender and arrested him on Sunday evening at a farm in Al-Majmaah. He admitted to the crime.

The police also confiscated the mobile phone used by the accused in the crime and notified the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution for it to take punitive action under the country’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law.

The photo was posted on Nov. 12 by Shankar Ponnam on his Facebook account.

Provoked by this sacrilegious act, a group of Indian Muslims beat up Ponnam, filmed it and posted the video on social networking sites. They too face punishment under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law for posting the video of an assault on the Internet.

The Ka’bah is the holiest site in Islam and the direction Muslims from all corners of the globe face daily in prayer. Muslims do not worship the Ka’bah, but instead consider it a site with tremendous historical and spiritual significance and a unifying station for all believers.