Mohammed Alarefe, a Muslim cleric from Saudi Arabia, has called for Christian football players to stop making the sign of the cross after scoring a goal.
Alarefe tweeted his criticism of the act to his 17.5 million followers on 5 May. He questioned FIFA if players making religious signs on the pitch should be legal.
Translated from Arabic, Alarefe’s tweet read: “I’ve seen video clips of athletes, soccer players running, shooting and when they win they make the symbol of the cross on their chests and my question is if FIFA’s rules forbid this.”
Alarefe, who is professor of religion at King Saud University in Riyadh, drew more than 550 responses from his tweet.
Selected comments:
Today he wants your crosses, tomorrow your heads.
THE most intolerant people in the world – the people of peace /BS Other countries have freedom of speech and freedom of expression – you don’t like it – don’t watch. How can they be so threatened by something they don’t even believe exists?
Saudi Cleric Becomes Online Laughing Stock After Telling Student The Sun Rotates Around The Earth As Otherwise Planes Would Not Be Able To Fly
A Saudi cleric has publicly claimed that the Earth is a static object which is orbited by the sun, adding that centuries of evidence to the contrary is little more than fabrication.
Sheikh Bandar al-Khaibari is believed to have been speaking at a university lecture in the United Arab Emirates when a student asked him whether the Earth rotates or is stationary.
The Islamic scholar quickly replies ‘stationary and does not move’, before launching into a long-winded and confusing explanation that appears to the suggest that if the Earth was moving, airliners would never be able to reach their destination.
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