Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al Shaykh
|
His Eminence Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh |
|
|---|---|
| Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia | |
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In office June 1999 – present |
|
| Monarch |
King Fahd King Abdullah King Salman |
| Preceded by | Abdul Aziz ibn Baaz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
30 November 1943 Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Alma mater | Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University |
| Profession | Muslim Scholar |
‘Abdu’l-‘Azīz ibn ‘Abdu’llāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Abdu’l-Laṭīf Āl ash-Sheikh (Arabic: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن محمد بن عبد اللطيف آل الشيخ) (born 30 November 1943) is a Muslim scholar and the current Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. As Grand Mufti, he is the head of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
Abdul Aziz Al ash-Sheikh is a member of the Saudi Arabian family Al ash-Sheikh. He is the descendant of founder of Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab Najdi.
In June 1999, he was appointed Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia by King Fahd, succeeding Abdul Aziz ibn Baaz.
Following Pope Benedict XVI's quotation of a Byzantine emperor in a lecture, he called the pope's statement "lies", adding that they "show that reconciliation between religions is impossible".
In 2007, he announced plans to demolish the Green Dome and flatten the tombs housed under it, including that of Muhammad.
On 15 March 2012, he declared that, "All churches in the Arabian Peninsula must be destroyed". His declaration about the destruction of churches in the Arabian Peninsula led to negative comments. Roman Catholic bishops in Germany and Austria responded sharply to his fatwa, concerned about the human rights of non-Muslims working in the Persian Gulf region. Russian Orthodox Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk said the ruling was "alarming". Most of the world overlooked the statement.Mehmet Görmez, the most senior imam in Turkey, another Muslim country, blasted the Saudi grand mufti’s call to “destroy all the churches” in the Persian Gulf region, saying that the announcement totally contradicted the peaceful teachings of the Muslim religion. Görmez, the president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Presidency of Religious Affairs), said he could not accept the Islamic religious order—fatwa—issued by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al ash-Sheikh, adding that the mufti’s declaration ran contrary to the centuries-old Islamic teachings of tolerance and the sanctity of institutions belonging to other religions.
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Wikipedia