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== Social media popularity ==
== Social media popularity ==
Al-Arefe has over 20 million followers on [[Twitter]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Yahya |first=Nasidi Adamu |date=19 July 2016 |title=Yadda Malamai ke wa'azi a shafukan zumunta |url=http://www.bbc.com/hausa/news/2016/07/160718_social_media_religious_propagation |newspaper=ABC Hausa }}</ref> As of 6 May 2019, Al-Arefe had over 24 million likes on Facebook,<ref>https://www.facebook.com/3refe/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> which places his account in the top 100 worldwide, and #10 in the [[Arab world]] and in the Middle East.<ref>[http://twitaholic.com/ Top Twitter User Rankings] retrieved 3 June 2014</ref> BBC claims that Al-Arefe is regarded as a scholar "Brad Pitt". Al-Arefe announced his fatwa for "jihad" against Syrian to his jihadist followers on social media.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 March 2016 |title=Meet Saudi Arabia's stars of social media |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-35609249 |newspaper=BBC Trending }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2 March 2016 |title=Saudis on Social: Faith, Freedom and Fun |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35664637 |newspaper=BBC Trending }}</ref>
jihadist followers on social media.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 March 2016 |title=Meet Saudi Arabia's stars of social media |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-35609249 |newspaper=BBC Trending }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2 March 2016 |title=Saudis on Social: Faith, Freedom and Fun |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35664637 |newspaper=BBC Trending }}</ref>

Al-Arefe engaged in a diatribe against Shias, referred to them as "evil", used the label of "infidel" against Shia cleric [[Ayatollah Sistani]] and boasted that there are no mausoleums, public statues, Christian crosses in Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/tv/saudi-cleric-muhammad-al-arifi-vilifies-shiites-calling-iraqi-ayatollah-sistani-infidel |title=Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi Vilifies Shiites, Calling Iraqi Ayatollah Sistani "an Infidel" |date=10 December 2009 |website=MEMRI }}</ref> Al-Arefe described Jews as cowardly in battle and claimed that their tanks had urine and feces in them since they wouldn't get out of them.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/tv/saudi-cleric-muhammad-al-arifi-jewish-soldiers-would-defecate-and-urinate-their-tanks-because |title=Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi: Jewish Soldiers Would Defecate and Urinate in Their Tanks Because They Were Too Scared to Leave Them |date=5 February 2012 |website=MEMRI }}</ref> He also claimed they used bags or diapers in the tank.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/tv/saudi-cleric-muhammad-al-arifi-israeli-soldiers-too-scared-leave-their-tanks-urinate-or-defecate |title=Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi: Israeli Soldiers Too Scared to Leave Their Tanks to Urinate or Defecate; Palestine Will Be Liberated Through Force, Not Negotiations |date=9 April 2010 |website=MEMRI }}</ref> He described Jews as too cowardly to fight and said they were going to hide around the Gharqad trees they were allegedly planting.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/tv/saudi-cleric-muhammad-al-arifi-jews-plant-gharqad-trees-hide-behind-when-muslims-come-kill-them |title=Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi: Jews Plant Gharqad Trees to Hide Behind When Muslims Come to Kill Them on Judgment Day |date=11 September 2008 |website=MEMRI }}</ref>

Al-Arefe supported the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] in Egypt.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=3 May 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOvKL2-BNIw |title=Shaykh al Fawzān Warns Against The Books of Sayyid Quṭb {{!}} Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al Fawzān |publisher=Masjid Al-Wahyain MN |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106230949/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOvKL2-BNIw |archive-date=6 November 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/reports/saudi-authorities-irate-over-communiqu%c3%a9-condemning-ouster-former-egyptian-president-mursi |title= Saudi Authorities Irate Over Communiqué Condemning Ouster Of Former Egyptian President Mursi |last=Admon |first=Y. |date=8 October 2013 |website=MEMRI }}</ref> Al-Arefe was lauded by Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood President Mursi and al-Arefe and [[Salman al-Ouda]] were named as Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/reports/saudi-prince-about-kingdoms-muslim-brotherhood-movement-they-are-khawarij-age |title= Saudi Prince About Kingdom's Muslim Brotherhood Movement: They Are The Khawarij Of This Age |date=28 August 2013 |website=MEMRI }}</ref> He is a known associate of them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.memri.org/espanol/controversia-en-el-mundo-arabe-sobre-el-visitar-lugares-cristianos-y-musulmanes-en-israel/7720 |title=Controversia en el mundo árabe sobre el visitar lugares cristianos y musulmanes en Israel |date=23 May 2014 |website=MEMRI |accessdate=25 January 2017 }}</ref>


Muslim Brotherhood affiliation was denied for Arefe and [[Adil al-Kalbani]] by al-Kalbani, saying that they are affiliated with the Union of Muslim Scholars.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 August 2013 |title=تتصفح الآن: الكلباني : أنا عضو في اتحاد علماء المسلمين ولست إخوانياً .. والعريفي ليس إخوانياً |url=http://www.an7a.com/115868/ |newspaper=صحيفة أنحاء الإلكترونية |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214102112/http://www.an7a.com/115868/ |archive-date=14 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Muslim Brotherhood affiliation was denied for Arefe and [[Adil al-Kalbani]] by al-Kalbani, saying that they are affiliated with the Union of Muslim Scholars.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 August 2013 |title=تتصفح الآن: الكلباني : أنا عضو في اتحاد علماء المسلمين ولست إخوانياً .. والعريفي ليس إخوانياً |url=http://www.an7a.com/115868/ |newspaper=صحيفة أنحاء الإلكترونية |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214102112/http://www.an7a.com/115868/ |archive-date=14 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Revision as of 20:50, 20 March 2023

Muhammad al-Arifi
محمد العريفي
Born (1970-07-15) 15 July 1970 (age 54)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
NationalitySaudi Arabian[1]
Occupationscholar
Years active1990-present
Websitearefe.ws

Muhammad bin Abdul-Rahman al-Arifi (Template:Lang-ar, born 15 July 1970) is a Saudi Arabian author and Da'i. He is a graduate of King Saud University, and member of the Muslim World League and the Association of Muslim Scholars.[2][3]

Social media popularity

jihadist followers on social media.[4][5]

Muslim Brotherhood affiliation was denied for Arefe and Adil al-Kalbani by al-Kalbani, saying that they are affiliated with the Union of Muslim Scholars.[6]

A video Al-Arefe was posted by Ibrahim al-Musalem on a tweet about the Charlie Hebdo shooting.[7]

Holiday celebrations and greetings to Christians by Muslims was banned by Al-Arefe.[8] He strictly explicitly banned religious greetings to non-Muslims.[9] Al-Arefe forbade the usage of Christmas trees.[10]

He said that Syria jihad is incumbent and did apologia for al-Nusra, visiting the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque in Qatar.[11]

In July 2015, Al-Arafe wrote a critique[12] on Facebook of the Egyptian Ramadan TV series Jewish Quarter, complaining that it showed Jews in a positive light, when in reality Jews were terrible people. It was picked up by Arabic media.

Al-Arefe had a discussion with Saudi Deputy crown prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud and then tweeted and posted a photo of them smiling together.[13][14] The discussion was held on the same day as Saudi Vision 2030 began.[15][16][17] He asked God to bless Prince Mohammad and posted his thanks.[18] al-Arefe met with Prince Mohamed bin Salman again and talked with him and posted the photo of them smiling together on Twitter.[19][20] They talked about the futures of the Islamic world and of the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia).[21]

King Saud University employs Al-Arefe.[22]

Arifi on Twitter vowed for Russia and Assad to be defeated over the Battle of Aleppo.[23]

Condolences over the death of the son of Salman al-Ouda and his wife were given on Twitter by Mohamad al-Arefe.[24]

Abdul Razzaq al-Mahdi, Nabil Al-Awadi, Tariq Abdelhaleem, and Hani al-Sibai who are linked to Al-Qaeda, in addition to others like Adnan al-Aroor, Abd Al-Aziz Al-Fawzan, Mohamad al-Arefe, Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al Shaykh and others were included on a death list by ISIS.[25]

Al-Arefe's Twitter account was suspended in 2018.[26] Since that time he was rarely seen in public.[27] In February 2021 it was reported that al-Arefe is under watch by Saudi government authorities and that his moves and actions are being followed using spy devices and a tracking knee band.[28]

The 2013 Egyptian coup d'état

In July 2013, Al-Arefe was detained by the Saudi authorities for using YouTube to criticize the military coup d'état in Egypt, an ally of Saudi Arabia.[29] It was speculated[by whom?] that the arrest was in response to a complaint filed by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to its Saudi counterpart. The complaint claimed that Al-Arefe was intervening in Egyptian domestic affairs.[verification needed] Before his release, he signed a pledge not to interfere in Egyptian affairs and was released afterwards but placed under house arrest. He was also banned from traveling to Doha, where he was scheduled to deliver a religious lecture there. The Saudi authorities never announced the reason behind Al-Arefe's arrest.

Sanctions

In May 2013, Al-Arefe was banned from entering Switzerland for a period of 5 years, for holding extreme views, Switzerland said.[2][30]

In March 2014, he was banned by the Home Office from returning to Britain after a series of sermons in Cardiff, Birmingham and London. A Home Office spokesperson said: "We can confirm Mohammad Al-Arefe has been excluded from the United Kingdom. The Government makes no apologies for refusing people access to the UK if we believe they represent a threat to our society. Coming here is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who seek to subvert our shared values."[31][32]

In October 2014, he was jailed for 40 days for stating that the train linking Mecca and other holy sites was "one of the worst in the world".[29]

Denmark banned him from entering the country for two years in May 2017.[33][34]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Britain bans controversial Saudi cleric al-Arifi". 25 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b Milmo, Cahal (24 June 2013). "Sunni vs Shia... in Gerrard's Cross: New mosque highlights growing tensions among British Muslims". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  3. ^ Official verified English page, Facebook, 2016.
  4. ^ "Meet Saudi Arabia's stars of social media". BBC Trending. 3 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Saudis on Social: Faith, Freedom and Fun". BBC Trending. 2 March 2016.
  6. ^ "تتصفح الآن: الكلباني : أنا عضو في اتحاد علماء المسلمين ولست إخوانياً .. والعريفي ليس إخوانياً". صحيفة أنحاء الإلكترونية. 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Reactions On Twitter To Attack On 'Charlie Hebdo' – Including Hashtags #Paris Is Burning, #Vengeance For [Insulting] Allah's Messenger, #Lone Wolves Are Terrorizing France". MEMRI. 9 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Periodista jordana: El odio hacia los cristianos es el primer paso en el camino hacia el terrorismo". MEMRI. 24 December 2015.
  9. ^ "President Sisi, Egyptian Grand Mufti: Offering Christmas Greetings To Our Christian Brothers Is Part Of Our Religion". MEMRI. 24 December 2015.
  10. ^ د. محمد العريفي [@MohamadAlarefe] (20 December 2016). "8/شجرة عيد الميلاد تخصّ كريسمس العيد الديني للنصارى، رمز ديني كرمزية الصليب، لها قصة بعقيدتهم، لا يجوز تعظيمها وصنعها" [8/ The Christmas tree pertains to Christmas, the religious holiday of the Christians. It is a religious symbol like the symbolism of the cross. It has a story in their faith, and it is not permissible to venerate it and protect it.] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Gilligan, Andrew (27 September 2014). "The 'Club Med for terrorists'". The Telegraph.
  12. ^ "🚫 الآباء والأبناء والمربين ووقفات مع... – الصفحة الرسمية للشيخ د. محمد العريفي . – Facebook". facebook.com (in Arabic).
  13. ^ د. محمد العريفي [@MohamadAlarefe] (25 April 2016). "التقيت قبل قليل سموّ ولي ولي العهد في اجتماع مفيد أشكره لحفاوة استقباله وحسن حواره وصراحته اللهم وفقه واجعله مباركاً https://t.co/8Q5Ul2YHWJ" [I met a while ago, His Highness, the Deputy Crown Prince, in a useful meeting. I thank him for his warm reception, good dialogue, and frankness. May God grant him success and make him blessed.] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "أخبار 24 | العريفي ينشر صورة له برفقة الأمير محمد بن سلمان بعد إعلان". أخبار 24. 25 April 2016.
  15. ^ "العريفي ينشر صورة له برفقة الأمير محمد بن سلمان بعد إعلان "رؤية السعودية"". صحيفة سابق الإلكترونية. 27 April 1438.
  16. ^ عيسى, عمر (25 April 2016). "العريفي" يشكر ولي ولي العهد السعودي لهذا السبب". بوابة القاهرة.
  17. ^ "العريفي يلتقي مع بن سلمان بعد ساعات من إعلان رؤية 2030". الخليج أونلاين. الرياض. 25 April 2016.
  18. ^ "العريفي ينشر صورة له برفقة محمد بن سلمان بعد إعلان "رؤية السعودية"". صحيفة المرصد.
  19. ^ د. محمد العريفي [@MohamadAlarefe] (21 December 2016). "كانت جلسة خاصة، وحوار عميق، مليئ بالتفاؤل لمستقبل المملكة والعالم الإسلامي، والدعوة، والتحديات والخطط، مع الأمير محمد بن سلمان، شكر الله له https://t.co/owEoeEHOTl" [It was a special session, and a deep dialogue, full of optimism for the future of the Kingdom and the Islamic world, advocacy, challenges and plans, with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, thank God for him.] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "الشيخ العريفي ينشر صورة جمعته بـ محمد بن سلمان.. ويكشف ما دار بينهما". مـزمـز. 22 December 2016.
  21. ^ "الشيخ "العريفي" ينشر صورة جمعته بـمحمد بن سلمان .. ويكشف ما دار بينهما". صحيفة المرصد. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  22. ^ IGA Staff (17 June 2016). "Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Meets Obama after Welcoming an ISIS Supporter". The Institute for Gulf Affairs.
  23. ^ د. محمد العريفي [@MohamadAlarefe] (13 December 2016). "We'll stand for our brothers in #Aleppo till the defeat of #Assad & #Russia &the promise of Allah is fulfilled #AleppoHolocaust #SaveAleppo" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ العريفي, محمد (25 January 2017). Twitter https://twitter.com/MohamadAlarefe/status/824339078422429696. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ^ "ISIS Launches Campaign Calling To Kill Prominent Islamic Clerics Such As Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, Saudi Mufti 'Abd Al-'Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Former Egyptian Chief Mufti 'Ali Gum'a". MEMRI. 14 February 2017.
  26. ^ "تساؤلات بعد إيقاف حساب الشيخ السعودي محمد العريفي على تويتر". BBC. 29 December 2018.
  27. ^ "بعد اختفاء طويل.. فيروس كورونا يُخرج الشيخ محمد العريفي إلى الملأ (فيديو)". El-Dorar. 24 March 2020.
  28. ^ "مجتهد: الوضع النفسي للشيخ العريفي سيء وصودرت حساباته على مواقع التواصل". El-Nashra. 14 February 2021.
  29. ^ a b Christian Science Monitor: "Saudi Arabia presses 'YouTube imams' to toe the line on Yemen – Popular Muslim clerics are using social media to stir dissent beyond the purview of government-controlled mosques and satellite TV stations. Saudi Arabia is sensitive to criticism of its war in Yemen" By Taylor Luck 2 June 2015
  30. ^ "Madhur temple undergoes massive renovation". Arab News. 27 May 2013.
  31. ^ "Banned preacher under scrutiny over links to young Cardiff men fighting with Isis in Iraq and Syria". ITV. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  32. ^ Morris, Steven (23 June 2014). "Father of Cardiff jihadists says his sons were radicalised in 'pop-up' schools". Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  33. ^ "Den nationale sanktionsliste - Religious preachers with entry ban". www.nyidanmark.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  34. ^ Jensen, Teis (2 May 2017). "Denmark bans six 'hate preachers' from entering the country". Reuters. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
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