“The king gave me these clear orders when I went to greet him after my appointment,” he told local daily Al-Eqtisadiah in an interview.
Al-Asheikh said King Abdullah advised him to always have a fear of Allah when tackling religious issues concerning the public and to treat citizens and foreigners with respect and leniency.
“The king also advised me to protect the religion and religious rituals according to the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. He advised me to follow the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of dealing with his followers through advice and guidance,” he said.
Al-Asheikh said King Abdullah stressed the tolerant and moderate nature of Islam and asked him to spread the correct understanding of Islam among people.
The king underlined the importance of the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice and said it has always been a feature characterizing Saudi society since the time of King Abdul Aziz, said Al-Asheikh.
Al-Asheikh added he was proud to be a graduate of Minister of Defense and Aviation Prince Salman’s school of thought when he worked with him while the prince was Riyadh governor.
“I benefited a lot from Prince Salman’s wisdom, work ethic and subtle treatment of people,” he said.
The new chief considered citizens and expatriates as partners of the Haia and said the commission would give its utmost attention to complaints and information from people all over the Kingdom. He also welcomed their suggestions to further improve the work of the Haia.
Al-Asheikh invited reporters to come to the Haia’s offices to carry out a first hand assessment of its activities and help form partnerships in reporting facts and spreading awareness among society.
“My door is always open to journalists,” he said asking people to pray for his success.
The first major decision Al-Asheikh took was to fire part-time Haia employees who had been criticized by the public.
