Friday, Jun 02, 2017

Manama: A famous Saudi actor who had been accused of being an apostate and a hypocrite has welcomed a court ruling against his accuser as a positive development that would deter gratuitous attacks.

The Court of Appeals in Saudi Arabia this week upheld a 45-day jail sentence against Saeed Bin Farwa, an imam who in June 2015 used the Friday prayers sermons to harshly criticise Nasser Al Qasbi for his character in “Selfie”, a comedy broadcast by Saudi-owned MBC television.

The court also ruled that Bin Farwa sign a pledge not to utter any gratuitous accusations against anyone.

“Our major issue is that some people make gratuitous accusations of apostasy,” Al Qasbi said in remarks carried by Saudi daily Okaz on Wednesday. “Following this ruling, there will be no more free-for-all accusations. No one will be immune no matter how long his beard is or how short his ‘thobe’ is,” he said, referring to the way most ostensibly religious men look.

Al Qasbi, who enjoys an immense popularity in Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf for his subtle criticism of negative behaviours and attitudes in the Saudi and Arab society, said that people’s characters are clearly protected by the laws and that no one has the right to play the role of the state.

Abdul Rahman Al Lahem, his lawyer, said that the ruling was ready for execution and that Bin Farwa would be taken to jail.

“This is not a public law case, which means that only Al Qasbi has the right to pardon the accuser,” he said.

In his sermon two years ago, Bin Farwa also used strongly offensive words against MBC for broadcasting the comedy, claiming that it was a vicious and contemptible onslaught on Islam and on Islamic values.

In the first episode, Al Qasbi played the character of a singer who after losing fame and wealth decided to turn to religion and use it to recover his former celebrity and social eminence.

Several people attacked the actor, saying that he was mocking religion and denigrating religious figures, but the most vicious public onslaughts were from Bin Farwa.

“My Twitter account is loaded with insults and threats,” Al Qasbi said. “I tell everyone to cool down,” he said, pledging to produce and show more critical episodes.

Religious scholars explained that using mosques to excommunicate Muslims and declare them apostates was not possible unless very strict conditions applied.

Attorney Yahya Al Shahrani said that excommunicating anyone was illegal and that victims could file legal suits.

“Targeting people’s private lives or slandering them could mean one year in jail or a SR500,000 fine,” he said. “Even if the person is saying the truth, he is liable to be jailed or fined because the legal texts are very clear about not allowing attacks on people’s characters,” he said.

In the following episodes, Al Qasbi tackled terrorism and the Daesh terror group, triggering threats by supporters to behead him.

He portrayed the character of a father who went to Syria via Turkey looking for his son who had joined the terrorists.

He eventually met his son Abdullah who had changed his name into Abu Akrama, but as the father was thinking of a plan to take his son back to Saudi Arabia, he was forced to deceive the group by pretending he wanted to be a jihadist.

In the next episode, the group became suspicious about the father and decided to test his resolve and commitment. The father, feeling he was dangerously trapped, convinced his son about the need to escape and the two stole a car and drove away.

However, the son later told his father that the car was loaded with explosives and that they would blow it at the next check-point.

The father did his best to avoid carrying out the suicide attack, and the two survived the explosion after they jumped out of the car fleeting seconds before it blew up.

But in another twist, they were caught and the father was taken to a site where he would be beheaded.

Abdullah appeared d without shackles, proving that he still believed in the terror group, and insisted he would slaughter his father.

Bin Farwa is no stranger to controversy.

In December, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti called for his sacking after he harshly attacked fathers who allowed their daughters to study medicine or pharmacy or to study abroad, calling them “cuckolds.”

“The accusation is not at all acceptable and people have to respect the sanctity of mosques and the significance of the sermons,” Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh said.

“Those who fail to assume such a great responsibility should not be allowed to deliver sermons,” he said as he commented on a video clip in which the ‘preacher’ spoke against the fathers of girls studying medicine, a branch that promotes mixing with male students and later on with male practitioners.

Such a charge is dangerous and people have to be truly conscious of what they say, especially in mosques, the mufti added.

“Preachers have to be truly religious and make sure that their sermons are words of wisdom and advice, have positive impact on their listeners and help them with their lives. They must not be used to divide people. Good manners are a must when talking with or about people. All imams should prepare their sermons carefully,” Al Shaikh said.

Saudis were furious after the clip was posted on social media and went viral on the Internet.

In the clip, Bin Farwa, talking about women, said that fathers were well aware that their daughters would upon their graduation from medicine or pharmacy colleges would work alongside men and would mix with them.

“I pray to God to paralyse anyone who allows the mixing of our daughters with men,” he said in his sermon.

“But the main culprit is the father who allows his daughter to go to a medical college and allows her to sit next to a man who often behaves in an effeminate manner. There is also the issue of sending daughters abroad on scholarships. How do you accept to let your daughter sit, flanked by two men, one American and one British, and talking to a male professor? We men, when we look at a beautiful woman, we like her. The same can happen with our daughters, sisters and wives. When they see a man who is more handsome than you, they will be attracted to him,” Bin Farwa told the men performing their Friday prayers in the mosque in the Asir region in the southwest part of the Saudi kingdom.

However, Saudi officials distanced themselves from Bin Farwa and said that the derogatory sermon was not recent although it made it to the Internet in December.

Deputy Islamic Affairs Minister Tawfeeq Al Sudairi said that the derogatory sermon was delivered five years ago and that Bin Farwa was not on the ministry’s list of accredited preachers.

“He is known for imposing himself on others to deliver sermons and the ministry had reported him to the relevant authorities,” he said. “The ministry is very careful about endorsing preachers and puts them through an assessment test that they must pass and they also have to sit for the interview with a specialised commission. Following his appointment, another commission monitors his performance and ensures he is apt to assume the responsibility.”

Al Sudairi said that Saudi Arabia is home to 100,000 mosques, including 15,000 large mosques where sermons are delivered on Fridays.

“The number of those who fail to live up to the standards is minimal and whenever it happens, the ministry steps in promptly to address the situation.”

By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief

Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.