Saudi Arabia's state-supported clerical leadership has
been silencing writers who called for the liberalization of the kingdom. And they have been acting on the authority of Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, opposition sources said.
The move has been led by Sheik Abdul Aziz Al Sheik, the grand mufti
of Saudi Arabia and the leading state cleric.
In the latest development, the Saudi mufti has imposed a ban on
Mansour Al Nogaidan, a columnist for the Al Riyad daily.
Opposition sources reported that the ban
on Al Nogaidan was apparently connected to his Sept. 11 article that
asserted the Saudi official clergy supported Al Qaida and called for a
lower profile by the clergy in public life. Al Nogaidan also called for a
reassessment of Wahhabi teachings, and what he termed the "culture of
death" taught in Saudi schools and mosques.
The Washington-based Saudi Information Agency said
Al Riyad editor Turki Al Sudairy told Al Nogaidan that he was banned from
writing although he could continue to receive a salary from the
newspaper, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Al Nogaidan, a former Wahabi imam [cleric] and religious extremist,
is best known for his criticism of the Wahabi religious ideology," the
agency said. "He was the target of a death edict by Wahabi cleric Sheik Naser
Al Fahd, who is now held by the government for his alleged involvement in
terror cells following Riyad bombings against American targets.
Saudi opposition sources said the clerics have succeeded in firing
or suspending several editors and writers over the past few months who have
called for genuine change in the kingdom. Some of the writers have been
banned for publication while others have also been fired from their
jobs.
The sources said the dismissals were endorsed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz who has
sought to placate the clerics while cracking down on Al Qaida insurgency cells.
Al Nogaidan has been sanctioned by the government for several years.
He was fired from his previous job as columnist at the Al Watan daily. The
Interior Ministry has refused to allow Al Nogaidan to travel since 2001.
The Saudi mufti has banned other Saudi writers over the last few
months.
They include Abdul Aziz Al Qassim, Abdullah Ben Bejad Al Otaibi, and
Khaled Al Ghanaam.
