RIYADH, 17 April 2003 — In what was described as a move against imams “whose performance level has gone down,” Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Saleh Al-Sheikh has fired a substantial number of imams and muezzins.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the minister and attended by the heads of the central committees responsible for implementing programs for mosques and their staff. Al-Sheikh said most of the imams and muezzins resigned, while others had to be replaced in line with regulations.
The minister said the move was part of a program to strengthen links between the imams and the faithful. It was intended to motivate them to carry out their duties following Qur’anic injunctions, as some of them were found below par.
Al-Sheikh called on imams “to learn from well-versed scholars. They should consult senior scholars on the issues they take up in the sermons.”
He also urged them to adhere to the authentic contents of the holy book and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
He clarified the preachers had no right to put their own interpretation on matters relating to creative interpretation.
The minister took a swipe at preachers delivering sermons on matters unconnected with the Qur’an and the Sunnah. “It is inappropriate for preachers to convey to the faithful political or news reports in their sermons, as the preacher should be neither a broadcaster nor a journalist.”
The preachers were given guidelines for the subjects of Friday sermons, he said. “The duties of the preachers have always been known. However, during their sermons, they sometimes react to the difficult situation Muslims have lately been facing, and then they make pronouncements that are not fully compatible with the Shariah,” he added.
