Taroudant - Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, a cleric from Saudi Arabia, has received death threats after appearing on a TV show along with his wife who showed her face with make-up.
The Saudi cleric challenged a fundamental religious tradition deep rooted in the conservative kingdom, which prohibits women to show their face in public.
Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, who previously served as the head of Mecca’s religious police, appeared chatting with his wife on a popular television show.
[video id="sEHoHyj88Jw" type="youtube"]He told the audience that Islam does not oblige women to put a niqab (a piece of clothes that covers the face as part of Hijab) in public.
"No one is saying that it is not allowed for a woman to cover her face, but I am saying that it is not obligatory and I have evidence in jurisprudence of this," al-Ghamdi told Badria al-Bishr, the female host of the television program.
Following the appearance of his wife on a TV show, the cleric received many insults on Twitter.
@Reazqi ????
— moh'd otaibi (@alwathnani) December 14, 2014
@alreem_h @BadryaMBC ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?????
— ??? ?? ???? ?????? (@fahood004) December 13, 2014
According to Arab News, “a number of Saudis in Jeddah are planning to file a lawsuit against Ahmed Qassim Al-Ghamdi,” for his recent statements that are understood by many as an encouragement to women to put make up and go out without a veil.
Early this month, the prominent sheikh issued a new fatwa against wearing Hijab claiming that “Islam doesn’t require women to wear veil,” and that they can put makeup on, take pictures for themselves and post them on social media networks.