- JEDDAH: Controversial Royal Court adviser Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan has been stopped from presenting his daily morning radio show after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah restricted the issuance of fatwas (religious edicts) to certain scholars.
Sources at Qur’an Radio said the sheikh was stopped from going on air as he used to issue fatwas to members of the public. In a royal decree from the king, only members of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars (CSIS) can issue fatwas.
The sources also said another live daily program from Sheikh Abdullah Al-Rukban, a former member of the CSRS, was also taken off air as it was similar to Al-Obaikan’s show.
Al-Obaikan used to appear every day on the program “Fatwas on Air” to answer queries and issue rulings on a number of contemporary Islamic issues. According to the sources, Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja had told Al-Obaikan that efforts were on to grant him exemption.
Meanwhile, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawa and Guidance Saleh Al-Asheikh asked all imams, preachers and khateebs of mosques to follow the king’s orders on fatwas. He also asked them to explain the royal decree in their sermon this Friday.
