Abdul-Rahman bin Nasir al-Barrak
Personal
Born1933 (age 90–91)
Al Bukayriah, Al-Qassim Province
ReligionIslam
EraModern era
RegionSaudi Arabia
MovementSalafi, Wahabi[1]
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced

Abdul-Rahman bin Nasir al-Barrak (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن ناصر البراك, born 1933 or 1934[2]) is a Saudi Salafi cleric.

In 1994, al-Barrak and other Saudi clerics were mentioned by name and praised by Osama bin Laden for opposing then-Grand Mufti Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz in his Open Letter to Shaykh Bin Baz on the Invalidity of his Fatwa on Peace with the Jews.

His website was banned in Saudi Arabia because it was “promoting bold ideas and theses”.[3]

Fatwas

Al-Barrak has drawn attention for issuing controversial fatwas, or religious edicts. One such fatwa called for strict gender segregation.[4] The fatwa states, "Whoever allows this mixing ... allows forbidden things, and whoever allows them is a kafir and this means defection from Islam ... Either he retracts or he must be killed ... because he disavows and does not observe the Sharia."

In March 2008, al-Barrak issued a fatwa that two writers for the newspaper Al Riyadh, Abdullah bin Bejad al-Otaibi and Yousef Aba al-Khail, should be tried for apostasy for their "heretical articles" regarding the categorization of "unbelievers" and put to death if they did not repent.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Saudi Arabia's clerics condemn IS but preach intolerance". Reuters. September 10, 2014 – via www.reuters.com.
  2. ^ "About Sheikh", Hijri calendar birthdate 1352 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine albarrak.islamlight.net
  3. ^ 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 June 2, 2015 |Now Saudi authorities are cracking down on online dissent, blocking several popular sites – such as those of clerics such as Mohammed Munajjid and Abdulrahman Barrak – for “promoting bold ideas and thesis.”
  4. ^ Saudi cleric backs gender segregation with fatwa, Reuters, 2010-02-23
  5. ^ Top Saudi cleric calls for writers' deaths Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Reuters, 2008-03-15
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