Social media networks have been under fire, for being the cause of spreading material against Islam. As a result of that, You Tube has been banned in a number of Islamic countries. Now, Twitter is facing the same fate, as Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, calls it the “source of all evil”, in his TV show Fatwa.
The Muslim cleric justified his claim by saying that Twitter users use it to spread lies about Islam.While, the social network itself is a great tool, if used properly and for the right reasons, it is being abused by people who are using it for trivial matters and wrong purposes.
The grand mufti quoted a verse from the Holy Quran to support his claim and stated that people should not believe whatever is being said on these social media networks, without confirming if it is the truth.
While some of the Twitter users support his claim, others, especially those who feel oppressed by the strict rules of the country, believe that Twitter is the only way to get their voice heard in the country.
Reports from a Saudi social media consultancy, The Social Clinic, stated that there are over 3 million Twitteratis in Saudi Arabia, generating over 50 million tweets on average in a month. Moreover, they believe that the West is monitoring the Saudi trends and mind-sets through Twitter too.
While the grand mufti’s recent claims seem like a response to these reports, the cleric has commented against Twitter last year too. He claimed that some of the people of Saudi Arabia used the social platform to create chaos in the country and to rise against the leaders and their rules.
Twitter use is already under censorship in Saudi Arabia since last year when a Saudi writer was arrested for insulting Islam on the social media network. The recent developments raise suspicions that the network might be banned altogether in the conservative Islamic Kingdom.
