JEDDAH: The director of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance branch in Jeddah, Fohaid Al-Barqi, warned the media against sensationalizing news, particularly cases that are in court.
“The tendency of the media to sensationalize cases could lead to an infringement of the rights’ of suspects who might be innocent. Sometimes, the way the media presents issues gives an impression that the person is definitely guilty,” Al-Barqi told Arab News on Monday, while discussing the case of a Jeddah imam accused of fraudulently taking charity funds.
Al-Barqi said sensationalism leads to the media losing credibility. “The case of the imam is currently in court. The media should wait until the final verdict is issued,” he said.
He added that his office received a court message that the imam had been absolved of one of the charges. “The court is, however, examining the remaining charges against the imam. When the case is over and the court has issued its final verdict, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs will issue a detailed statement on the matter,” he said.
“We ask people not to give charity in mosques, even to mosque imams and anyone else who works there. Nor do we permit the collection of alms in mosques. There are regulations that have been set by the government for collecting donations and that donations should be given to charities,” he said.
He added that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs monitors the activities of mosque employees, and punishes employees found to commit violations.
The court is expected to issue its final verdict in March or April.
