CALL TO DEMOLISH AND RECONSTRUCT AL HARAM MOSQUE REJECTED

Prominent Saudi scholars slammed a recent call by another scholar to demolish the Al Haram Mosque and reconstruct it in a way that would prevent the mingling of men and women during circumambulation (tawaf) and prayers. They agreed in unison that this was a ridiculous call by a scholar, who had no authority or jurisdiction to do so. While ridiculing the call, Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan, adviser to the Royal Court, said such individual opinions should not be taken into consideration and must be rejected outright. They were commenting on the recent controversial remarks of noted preacher Yousuf Al Ahmad, a former professor of Islamic jurisprudence at Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.