Controversy Erupts Over Al-Sudais’s Supplication for Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision
Watan-A strange supplication by the President of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, during the Taraweeh prayer at the Meccan sanctuary, has sparked controversy among activists on social media. Al-Sudais appeared to be supplicating for what is known as the “Vision 2030 of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”
According to a circulated video clip from the Meccan sanctuary during Ramadan nights, Al-Sudais was seen leading the prayers and supplicating with the following words: “O Allah, the Bestower, the Everlasting, grant success to your servant, Mohammed bin Salman.”
ممنوعة السياسة بالحرم وممنوع رفع علم فلسطين،
لكن مسموح الدعاء لشولوم والرؤية وكريستيانو رونالدو وجورجينا وبيومي فؤاد https://t.co/q0ApHeL4wi
— عمر بن عبدالعزيز Omar Abdulaziz (@oamaz7) April 7, 2024
Al-Sudais’s supplication for Mohammed bin Salman’s vision has stirred debate
He continued, calling for the Vision 2030, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman always talks about and lays out a plan for the kingdom’s future, which has been subject to widespread criticism, with some seeing it as unrealistic and aimed solely at showcasing, saying: “And reward him with the best reward for what he offers to his religion, his country, and Muslims, with a penetrating vision that brings honor to Islam and Muslims, and goodness to the country and its people, O Lord of the Worlds.”
This supplication by Al-Sudais has led to widespread criticism of him and the Crown Prince by activists.
In this context, Saudi opposition figure Omar bin Abdulaziz sarcastically commented: “Al-Sudais supplicates for Vision 2030 and describes it as the honor of Islam and Muslims. By God, even if you name Neom (a Saudi city project) 16 billion, it won’t happen.”
He added: “Politics are prohibited in the sanctuary, raising the Palestinian flag is prohibited, but it’s allowed to supplicate for Shalom (peace in Hebrew), the vision, Cristiano Ronaldo, Georgina, and Bayomi Fuad.”
Reacting to Al-Sudais’s supplication, Tunisian politician Dr. Mohamed Al-Hashemi expressed his dismay: “A word from you to Sheikh Al-Sudais after he praised Mohammed bin Salman’s vision in his supplication at the Grand Mosque, which disrupted the ritual of enjoining good and forbidding evil, lowered the volume of the call to prayer by a third, and abolished the use of the Hijri calendar in the Saudi administration.”
He continued regarding Vision 2030: “And it reduced the portions of religion and the Arabic language in schools, fostered a culture of worshiping the female deity, opened the Saudi airspace to Israeli aircraft, and agreed to a railway line that crosses Saudi Arabia and reaches the ports of the occupied Palestinian territories.”
يقف أمام الكعبة المشرفة في الليلة الوترية الأخيرة من شهر رمضان، وفي دعاء ختمة القرآن، ويصلي خلفه مليوني مسلم ويشاهده ويستمع إليه أضعاف هذا الرقم، أمام هذا المشهد العظيم يقول #السديس أن رؤية ابن سلمان (القائمة على كسر المحرمات وتحدي الله سبحانه في أرضه) فيها خير وصلاح لجميع… pic.twitter.com/ei9p9u6q1h
— تركي الشلهوب (@TurkiShalhoub) April 8, 2024
Activists’ reactions and criticism of Al-Sudais
Saudi activist Turki Al-Shalhoub criticized, saying: “He stands before the honorable Kaaba on the last odd night of Ramadan, during the supplication of completing the Quran, leading millions of Muslims in prayer, with millions more watching and listening to him. In this great scene, Al-Sudais says that Mohammed bin Salman’s vision (which is based on breaking taboos and defying God in his land) is good and beneficial for all Muslims.”
He continued: “I don’t know how he managed to put himself in this position, but it’s the disease of flattery that makes one lose everything!”
Al-Sudais has faced harsh criticism on social media since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s arrest of Saudi scholars such as Salman Al-Ouda and Awad Al-Qarni in 2017, and his silence on this matter revealed that he has become one of the chief scholars of the Sultan in the kingdom, justifying all of Mohammed bin Salman’s repressive actions, and not even condemning the scenes of nudity, singing, and dancing introduced by the Entertainment Authority to the kingdom.
