Manama: Saudi authorities have arrested a self-proclaimed preacher after he accused a famous actor of being an apostate and hypocrite.
Saeed Bin Farwa was sentenced to 45 days in jail after Nasser Al Qasabi, the actor, refused to pardon him.
In May, the Court of Appeals in Aseer in the southwest of the kingdom upheld the verdict by a lower court and forced the defendant to sign a pledge not to utter any gratuitous accusations against anyone.
In June 2015, Bin Farwa harshly criticised Al Qasabi for his role in Selfie, a comedy broadcast by Saudi-owned MBC television.
The preacher also lashed out at MBC for broadcasting the comedy, claiming that it was a vicious and contemptible onslaught on Islam and Islamic values.
“Our major issue is that some people make gratuitous accusations of apostasy,” Al Qasabi said in remarks after the judge pronounced his verdict.
“Following this ruling, there will be no more free-for-all accusations. No one will be immune no matter how long his beard is or how short his ‘thobe’ is,” he said, referring to the way most ostensibly religious men look.
Al Qasabi, who enjoys an immense popularity in Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf for his subtle criticism of negative behaviour and attitudes in the Saudi and Arab societies, said that people’s characters and personal traits are clearly protected by the laws and that no one had the right to play the role of the state.
In the first episode of Selfie, Al Qasabi played a singer, who, after losing fame and wealth, decided to turn to religion.
Several people attacked the actor, saying that he was mocking religion and denigrating religious figures, but the most vicious public onslaughts were from Bin Farwa.
The attacks motivated Al Qasabi to produce even more critical episodes.
In the following episodes, the actor tackled terrorism and Daesh, triggering threats by supporters to behead him.
Bin Farwa is not an accredited preacher.
“He is known for imposing himself on others to deliver sermons and the ministry had reported him to the relevant authorities,” Deputy Islamic Affairs Minister Tawfiq Al Sudairi said.
Al Sudairi said the ministry had a very thorough and strict accreditation process where the preacher-to-be would have to be screened by a special commission.
Saudi Arabia is home to more than 100,000 mosques, including 15,000 large mosques where sermons are delivered on Fridays.
