Riyadh: Two influential Saudi clerics have expressed support for demands of Egyptian demonstrators.
In rare political remarks, Shaikh Saleh Al Luhaidan, member of the senior Ulema (Muslim scholars) Commission, urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down. He added that the departure of the President is the key demand of thousands of demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square and other Egyptian cities.
This stance runs contrary to the official Saudi position vis-à-vis the crisis in Egypt. Speaking on Al Majd TV, Shaikh Saleh Al Luhaidan, who is former chief of the Higher Judiciary Council, noted that it is essential to meet the demands of demonstrators in order to preserve security and stability and enable people in Egypt to exercise their normal life.
He said the thefts and looting taking place in Egypt are not the morals of Muslims who were required by their religion to safeguard money, property and souls.
The reknowned Saudi cleric Dr Salman Al Ouda praised the popular uprising in Egypt. Discussing the situation with friends on Facebook and Twitter, Shaikh Salman Al Ouda said it is astonishing that all Egyptian segments stand united calling for genuine political reform and not only change of faces.
It is really admirable to see demonstrators themselves run after criminals and organise traffic, he added.
He pointed out that Egypt is the Arab world's gateway and what takes place in Egypt reflects in other countries.
