RIYADH, 29 May 2006 — A number of Saudis has questioned the decision of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to take action against the imam of a mosque in the Asir province for using his laptop to deliver a sermon.
The Saudis point out that the ministry’s decision to punish the imam is unfair as it implies a break with modern technology and complete reliance on more than a 1,400-year-old traditional approach to the preparation of sermons.
The Saudis were reacting to the ministry’s decision to punish the imam for bringing his laptop to the mosque in Sarat Abidah in Asir province and using notes on it for delivering out the Friday sermon. The congregation was reportedly stunned when the imam used his laptop to read out the sermon instead of the more traditional hand-written notes. The imam’s explanation was that he was short of time and brought the laptop in order to save time.
The ministry, however, is not impressed.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Humaid, director of the ministry’s social affairs department in Asir, said: “We are not punishing him for bringing new technology into the mosque but for the strange situation he has created in the process of doing so. His decision in favor of ijtihad (exploring a new solution to a situation in the light of Islamic teachings) was taken in his individual capacity and has nothing to do with the ministry. Moreover, it distracted the attention of the congregation which could not concentrate on the content of the sermon.”
Asked for his comment on the ministry’s decision, Muhammad Nasser, an expatriate, said that it raised more questions than it answered. “When we have modern technology at our disposal, why shouldn’t we use it?” he asked and wondered whether loudspeakers should be banned for the call to prayer or for reciting verses from the Qur’an.
Other people pointed out that similar objections to new technology were raised during the time of King Abdul Aziz who listened to the BBC’s Arabic news. The Kingdom’s founder silenced his critics by asking them why they were using cars as a means of transport.
According to Yasser Al-Ghamdi, a teacher, the use of photographs, which was banned for a long time, is now being allowed for identification and other purposes. The bottom line, he explained, was whether reliance on modern technology was in conflict with Islamic teachings. “If it is an advantage and not a handicap, then its use should be allowed,” he said, adding that there is no clash between modernity and Islam so long as technology is used for a legitimate purpose.
Abdullah Al-Fadel, a Saudi businessmen, said the ministry should prepare sermons and send them by e-mail to all imams in order to unify its message in all mosques in the Kingdom. This would also prevent “mutawwas” from going astray and acting arbitrarily by taking action against those deemed to be offenders.
