Manama: Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has called for the suspension of a columnist after he published a piece that praised him with God-like attributes.
The Saudi monarch also ordered action against Al Jazeera, the Saudi daily that published the column on Friday, Saudi news site Sabq reported.
In a letter to Information Minister Awad Bin Saleh Al Awad, King Salman said that he was shocked by the headline and some of the expressions in the column that contained excessive words and descriptions of praise, including attributes that God used for Himself or to describe Prophet Abraham.
“Such a matter has disturbed us and we cannot accept or tolerate it. We do not want it and we do not acknowledge it. We are well aware of the seriousness and danger of being lenient towards it,” King Salman said.
The king called for the prompt suspension of Ramadan Al Enenzi, the columnist, and for applying the rules and regulations against him and the newspaper that published the column.
“All newspapers and media should be fully aware that such matters must not be published and that all those who do not comply will be held accountable.”
The newspaper subsequently issued a full apology, saying that the columnist was wrong in the choice of the expressions and descriptions used to praise King Salman.
