RIYADH - Clerics have opened up a pitched battle in Saudi Arabia over who can issue fatwas, or religious edicts, as hardline and progressive religious scholars, judges and clerics have taken the fight public.
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In his Friday sermon at Mecca's Grand Mosque, the influential Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais lashed out at what he labelled "fraudulent" fatwas, likening their originators to market vendors selling fake or spoiled goods.
The effect, he said, goes so far as to undermine the country's security.
Meanwhile, the country's grand mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, warned of a crackdown.
"If a person comes out (with fatwas) and he is not qualified, we will stop him," he said, comparing such a person to a quack doctor allowed to treat patients."