The appearance on Saudi television of Sheikh Ali Al-Khudair, a hard-line religious scholar who encouraged uprisings against the government as well as attacks on non-Muslims, is the talk of the town. All major Saudi newspapers carried the story of how he had recanted his earlier beliefs and withdrawn his fatwas — religious edicts. The fact that such a well-known hard-liner appeared live on Saudi TV and was interviewed by Sheikh Aaid Al-Qarni — who was once on the government’s blacklist and who was jailed for his views — is not only revolutionary in the history of the Saudi media but also, at least to many, a long-awaited sign that ideological changes are taking place among some of our religious scholars.

The sheikh told Al-Qarni that he had wept when he learned of the explosions in the Al-Muhaya compound. He also said that his description of militants as “Mujahedeen” before the events in Riyadh had been wrong and that it had been a grave mistake. He said that the militants were “strayers from the truth.” He went on to say that it was incorrect for people to take jihad upon themselves and revolt against the Kingdom’s government and leadership. “Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country and its rulers are Muslims,” he said on TV. “Only God and the Prophet (peace be upon him) have the right to call people infidels.”

Al-Khudair also said that it was wrong to call for jihad against non-Muslims living in the Kingdom. “Only the ruler has the right to call for jihad. These people should be given protection according to Islam.”

He also admitted that his fatwas, which many uninformed young Saudis have used as a basis for certain actions, had caused widespread damage which “damaged the name of Muslims and obscured true efforts at religious propagation.” When asked about people using the Hadith — “Get polytheists out of the Arabian Peninsula” as justification for killing non-Muslims, Al-Khudair replied. “The Hadith is correct in its narration but has been wrongly interpreted.”

That got me thinking. If this sheikh had inspired young Saudis to turn to violence, how many other sheikhs had corrupted other young minds? Those in Algeria who have slaughtered thousands — men, women and children — hold beliefs which they think justifies their actions. Their beliefs are backed by fatwas from religious scholars. The Muslim brothers “Ikhwan Al-Muslimeen” who rose up against the government in Egypt were also acting according to religious scholars. And let us not forget the 19 young Muslims who hijacked four airplanes and killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11. They too were brainwashed and influenced by the religious ideology of Osama Bin Laden. The statement also reminded me of Mahathir Mohamed, Malaysia’s former prime minister, who said that these religious scholars were responsible for the widespread stagnation in the Muslim world.

I could not agree more.

It is unfortunate that many Muslim religious scholars have a mindset that belongs to the distant past. In earlier times, Muslim rulers called for translations of Greek and Roman works in order to use their knowledge. Building on what they learned, Muslims were pioneers in astrology, medicine, geology, physics, mathematics and biology at a time when Europe was struggling in the Dark Ages.

What is sad is that some scholars say that such science is “earthly and will vanish.” They say that only religious science should be encouraged. What is equally sad is that we see religious scholars on MBC telling us that it is forbidden for women to drive because it can lead to great sins. They also say that a woman should not work unless absolutely necessary and then only in a sexually segregated environment.

By adhering to these pronouncements, millions of Muslim women all over the world would not be participating in their countries’ development, not playing their roles as good citizens and not doing what is required of them as members of families.

Whatever we can say, Al-Khudair recanting and withdrawing his fatwas is a great step forward for the Kingdom and for the entire Islamic world.

Religious scholars whose fatwas have been responsible for misguiding, brainwashing and corrupting the minds of other Muslims should follow suit.