Ebrahim Moosa – Radio Islam International | 18 September 2017

A prominent American Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, has slammed rulers who imprison and silence Ulama as a means to entrench their power.

Qadhi, a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah, and the Dean of the Al Maghrib Institute made the comments in a Facebook post, which whilst making no direct reference to countries or individuals, is implicitly deemed to be referencing the latest punitive actions taken against Ulama in Saudi Arabia.

“How foolish are rulers who believe that by imprisoning scholars of Islam, they will somehow stop the truth from spreading, and solidify their power,” Qadhi wrote.

“Do they not learn from history? The names of those rulers are either forgotten or despised, and the names of the prophets and scholars are etched in the conscience of Muslims, loved, respected, admired, and followed by all.”

The scholar wrote that the occurrence of tyrannical rulers imprisoning Ulama whom they feared was commonplace across Islamic history, as were its predictable effects.

“When scholars are imprisoned unjustly, the love that people have for them increases exponentially, and the hatred that people have for tyrants and traitors becomes even more deep-seated. And that hatred, eventually, will be manifested, sometimes in ways that are unwise or even un-Islamic. But before one jumps to blame those who are angry for their actions, one should also see the tyranny, double-crossing, cowardice, betrayal and treachery of the rulers that caused such anger in the first place.

“…It is also at times like this when the true colors of a person are shown. How many chameleons exist who pretend to ally with the truth, and pretend to care for the Umma, only to show their true nature by supporting the most corrupt of regimes, and by allying with those who would sell the interests of the Umma to protect their own seats and power! How cheap is their honor, that they have sold it for a paltry sum in this world!”

Qadhi concluded his post with a dua for all who have been “imprisoned unjustly for speaking the truth, or imprisoned for choosing to remain silent rather than speak out in favor of injustice.”

Context

It was revealed by Saudi Arabian activists last week that the monarchy had embarked on a fresh campaign of arrests targeting Ulama, some of whom had previously been incarcerated for critiquing the policies of the regime.

Most prominent among those targeted were Shuyookh, Salman al-Odah and Awad al-Qarni, both known for their previous political stances and huge social media presence.

Saudi authorities have not commented publicly on the alleged arrests or the reasons for the clampdown, but many commentators have speculated that they were aimed to silence any potential voices of dissent amidst a climate of uncertainty in the Kingdom, and punish the targeted scholars for not publicly articulating the official regime line on the Saudi-Qatar impasse.

The latest Saudi crackdown earned it stern rebukes from international human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch(HRW) and Amnesty International.

“Outlandish sentences against peaceful activists and dissidents demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s complete intolerance toward citizens who speak out for human rights and reform,” said HRW’s Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson.

Samah Hadid, director of campaigns for Amnesty International in the Middle East said in press release: “In recent years we cannot recall a week in which so many prominent Saudi Arabian figures have been targeted in such a short space of time.”

“It is clear that the new leadership under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is sending a chilling message: freedom of expression will not be tolerated, we are coming after you.”

In a related development, comments made by Sheikh Abdur Rahman al Sudais, Imam of the Haram in Makkah, on the sidelines of the Saudi organised ‘Civilisational communication between the United States of America and the Islamic World’ event in New York have sparked intense criticism.

Sudais said in a TV interview with Saudi channel Al Ekhbariya that Saudi Arabia and the United States are the “poles of influence in the world”.

They are “steering the world and humanity to the ports of security, peace and prosperity,” he added, claiming that the two countries should unite to “combat terrorism” and to “realise security and international peace”.

Many users criticised Sudais’ remarks and his praising of the US, through the hashtag #SudaisDeclarationDoesNotRepresentMe, which began circulating in Arabic, Middle East Eye reported.