Saudi nabs imam of Mecca as crackdown continues: Report
Tehran (KNA) - Saudi security forces have reportedly arrested Sheikh Saleh al-Talib, a prominent imam and preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, as Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s crackdown on his opponents continues.
The news was picked up by Al Jazeera and other major Arab news outlets on Wednesday, three days after social media advocacy group Prisoners of Conscience (POC) first broke the story of Talib's detention.
According to Al Jazeera, the arrest came after Talib delivered a sermon on the duty in Islam to speak out against evil in public.
During the address, he also challenged "mixed public gatherings" of men and women, an initiative recently promoted by MBS as part of his so-called moderation project.
According to a separate report by Khaleej Online, an Arabic language website, Talib, who also serves as a judge in Mecca, blasted the mixing of unrelated men and women at concerts and other entertainment venues.
However, his speech was void of any direct criticism of the Saudi royal family, the website added.
Saudi authorities have yet to make any statement on the fate of Talib or his whereabouts.
Some reports suggested that the imam's English and Arabic twitter accounts had been deactivated within hours after his reported arrest.
Source: PressTV