Riyadh: A religious leader in Saudi Arabia has issued a fatwa that Muslim’s journeys in non-Muslim countries is forbidden and said that Muslim who dies in the land of unbelievers can go to the hell. The statement was given by the Saudi Sheikh Abdullah Salim in the newspaper published in London as he was presented at the Saudi-based program of al-Qaeda member’s optimization which has been in jailed.
Saudi cleric said in his fatwa that he fears that people who die on the land of unbelievers can go to the hell. He further added that it is forbidden in Islam to travel abroad until Muslims have a big need or condition of travelling abroad. Sheikh Abdullah Salim told the newspaper that Allah does not like Muslims to live with the unbelievers as travel to other Muslim countries is not so objectionable. He added that for also academic and commercial purposes, it should be avoided to go non-Muslim countries.
The same newspaper told by the former head of Mecca’s religious police, Sheikh Ahmed bin Qasim that there are benefits and opportunities for everyone in travelling including the priests and clerics. He cited the verse of the Qur’an in which people have been praised, who travels and discovers the land.
A female columnist called this statement of Saudi Sheikh Abdullah Salim as “Extremist Bacteria”. Columnist Badarya ul Bashar wrote in his edition that Sheikh Abdullah Salim’s explanation is an organized attack of Shah Abdullah’s Scholarship Program through which thousands of students sent to western countries each year to complete their higher education. Badarya reminded that this scholarship program in the Saudi kingdom has been troubling some extremists as they believe that educated Saudis will not stay in their control. She said that thousands of Saudis including officials and religious personalities travel almost every year to Australia, Spain, London and other western countries.