RIYADH – Sheikh Saleh al-Talib, a prominent imam of the Grand Mosque inMakkah has been reportedly detained in Saudi Arabia.
He is reportedly detained for delivering sermons against mixed publicgatherings.
Talib also serves a judge in the holy city, according to a report publishedon *Al Jazeeralink*.
According to Prisoners of Conscience, a social media advocacy group whichdocuments arrests of Saudi religious scholars and preaches, Sheikh wasarrested after delivering a sermon on the duty in Islam to speak againstevil in public.
We confirm the arrest of the Imam of Haram Sheikh Dr. Saleh al Taleb, andit is said that the reason for the arrest is a speech about the doing eviland the duty in Islam to deny that in public! pic.twitter.com/8jq70ljDGglink
— Prisoners of Conscie (@m3takl_en) August 19, 2018link
*Khaleej Online* reported that Talib derided the mixing of unrelated menand women at concerts and various mixed entertainment events.
Although, the preacher did not directly criticise the rulers, the kingdomhas relaxed laws on female attendance at public events in recent months.
Saudi Arabia has not issued any official statement pertaining to his arrest.
Talib’s English and Arabic social media accounts were deactivated soonafter his reported arrest.
“Authorities are looking at everyone that’s influential and has a presenceon the scene. Even those that have kept quiet or pledged allegiance to thestate, even those that have been drumming up the authorities and theirinitiatives, even these are not safe,” said Yahya Assiri, a UK-based Saudihuman rights activist.