In a recent program aired by the television channel, the former professor of Islamic jurisprudence at the Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh strongly criticized the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology which opened last year and the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program, which sends Saudi students abroad for higher studies.

In a statement published in Al-Watan daily on Thursday, director general of Al-Bidaya Abdul Aziz Al-Oraifi said the channel did not condone Al-Ahmed's views.

"Those are his personal views and baseless," he said.

Al-Oraifi also affirmed his channel's support for all developmental and social projects in the Kingdom.

"The policy of the channel is social enlightenment. In light of the criticisms made by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Ahmed and his video clips online, it is apparent that he has betrayed and exploited the trust of the TV anchors who hosted the show,” he added.

“In light of this, the channel has announced that it will never again invite Al-Ahmed to appear on the channel. A consultative committee will vet preachers and scholars before they appear.” Al-Oraifi warned anchors to be careful about the topics they discuss on shows. The preacher had already caused controversy last week by calling for the demolition of the expansion of the Grand Mosque, carried out during the Ottoman era and the rule of King Saud, and separate floors for women to be built instead.

“This engineering solution will give women privacy and keep them away from cameras that project them and show them on satellite channels. Is it not the right of women not to battle with men during tawaf (circling of the Holy Kaaba)? Is it not their right to have one or two floors to perform tawaf and what is wrong in reconstructing the mosque for this purpose?” he was quoted as saying at the time.