Mohamad al-Arefe

Mohamad al-Arefe
Native name (Arabic: محمد العريفي‎)
Born (1970-07-15) July 15, 1970
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nationality  Saudi Arabia
Religion Islam (Salafi)
Website arefe.com

Mohamad bin AbdelRahman al-ʿArefe (Arabic: محمد العريفي‎) (born 15 July 1970), is a Saudi author, writer, and Muslim scholar with notable social media exposure. He is a professor at King Saud University, and Member of Muslim World League and the Muslim Scholars Association.[1][2]

Early life & Education

Academic Qualifications

He has Bachelors Degree in Islamic Theology, 1411 AH (1991), from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

Then in 1416 AH (1996) he got the Master Degree in Islamic Theology: Islamic Creed and Contemporary Sects. The title of his thesis was: “Ibn Qayyim’s al-Kāfiyah al-Shāfiyah fil Intiṣār lil Firqatin Nājiyah, Manuscript Authentication and Academic Study.” It is more famously known as “Nuniyat ibn al-Qayyim.”[3] It was awarded “Excellent with First Class Honors” , from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

In 1421 AH (2001) He got the Ph.D. in Islamic Theology: Islamic Creed and Contemporary Sects. And the title of his thesis was: “The Views of Shaykh al-Islām ibn Taymiyyah Regarding Sufism, a Collection and Academic Study.” It was awarded “Excellent with First Class Honors”, from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.[4]

Social Media Popularity

As of December 9, 2015, Al-Arefe had over 16 million likes on Facebook and 13.4 million followers on Twitter, which places his account in the top 100 worldwide, and #1 in the Arab world & in the Middle East .[5]

Events and Conferences

Mohamad al-Arefe, Event at al-Ahmadi high school, Kuwait, 2009

Views

His official web site said he rejects "right-wing media allegations that he may have contributed to the radicalization of three British born Muslims seen in a recently released video by ISIS." It quotes him as saying "I have a positive working relationship with many government institutions around the world including Saudi Arabia where I am a member of an academic body specializing in discrediting terrorist ideology. My position vis-à-vis ISIS is very clear as I am vehemently opposed to the brutal methods employed by many of their fighters and categorically condemn their extremism. I have personally published a number of academic works highlighting the numerous fallacies in their pernicious and divisive ideology."[6]

In an interview on Lebanese TV in 2007,[7] al-Arefe explained the three ways a man should discipline his wife:

In July 2015, Al-Arafe wrote a critique [9] on Facebook of the Egyptian Ramadan TV series Jewish Quarter, complaining that it showed Jews in a positive light, when in reality Jews were terrible people. It was picked up by Arabic media.

A June 2013 article in The Independent said that the Al Khoei Foundation, "a leading mainstream Muslim group" of Shiites in the UK, expressed concern about "divisive and sectarian personalities" after his arrival there, noting the prior ban from entering Switzerland and saying he has frequently preached against "evil Shiites".[1] In March 2014, he was banned by the Home Office from returning to Britain after a series of sermons in Cardiff, Birmingham and London. A Home Office spokesperson said: "We can confirm Mohammad Al-Arefe has been excluded from the United Kingdom. The Government makes no apologies for refusing people access to the UK if we believe they represent a threat to our society. Coming here is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who seek to subvert our shared values."[10][11]

The 2013 Egyptian coup d'état

In July 2013, Al-Arefe was detained by the Saudi authorities for using YouTube to criticize the military coup d'état in Egypt, an ally of Saudi Arabia.[12] It was speculated that the arrest was in response to a complaint filed by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to its Saudi counterpart. The complaint claimed that Al-Arefe was intervening in Egyptian domestic affairs. Before his release, he signed a pledge not to interfere in Egyptian affairs and was released afterwards but placed under house arrest. He was also banned from traveling to Doha, where he was scheduled to deliver a religious lecture there. The Saudi authorities never announced the reason behind Al-Arefe's arrest.

Preventing

In October 2014, he was jailed for 40 days for stating that the train linking Mecca and other holy sites was “one of the worst in the world.”.[12] Al-Arefe was banned from entering Switzerland for holding extreme views , Switzerland said .[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Milmo, Cahal (24 June 2013). "Sunni vs Shia... in Gerrard's Cross: New mosque highlights growing tensions among British Muslims". The Independent. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. ↑ official verified English page , facebook, 2016
  3. ↑ The poem of Ibn al-Qayyem , ar.wikisource
  4. ↑ official English page , facebook, 2016
  5. ↑ Top Twitter User Rankings retrieved 3 June 2014
  6. ↑ "Dr. Mohammad al-Arefe Responds to Allegations of Radicalization". Official website of Dr. Mohammad al-Arefe. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Does Islam allow men to beat there wives Explained by Muhammad al arifi. YouTube. 14 May 2009.
  8. ↑ MEMRI - The Middle East Media Research Institute: "Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-'Arifi Explains Wife Beating in Islam to Young Muslims in a Ramadhan Show" Clip No. 1594 - September 9, 2007
  9. ↑ "🚫 الآباء والأبناء والمربين ووقفات مع... - الصفحة الرسمية للشيخ د. محمد العريفي . - Facebook". facebook.com (in Arabic).
  10. ↑ "Banned preacher under scrutiny over links to young Cardiff men fighting with Isis in Iraq and Syria". ITV. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Morris, Steven (23 June 2014). "Father of Cardiff jihadists says his sons were radicalised in 'pop-up' schools". Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  12. 1 2 Christian Science Monitor: "Saudi Arabia presses 'YouTube imams' to toe the line on Yemen - Popular Muslim clerics are using social media to stir dissent beyond the purview of government-controlled mosques and satellite TV stations. Saudi Arabia is sensitive to criticism of its war in Yemen" By Taylor Luck June 2, 2015

External links

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