Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia exempts soldiers from Ramadan … confused?

For a second year in a row, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti has exempted troops participating in the war on Yemen from observing the religious obligation of fasting during Ramadan.

Last year, Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah al-Sheikh had issued a fatwa excluding the soldiers stationed on the border with Yemen from fasting.

On Tuesday, the Wahhabi figure issued a similar decree, which expanded the exemption to all the troops waging war at Riyadh’s behest, Saudi daily Okaz reported.

“You are caught between the two good deeds of jihad and fasting. Therefore, anyone who can afford it should fast and anyone who cannot is exempted and can break their fast, doing penance on other days,” read the decree.

It is important to note that al-Sheikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi clergy has held true to the alliance ibn Saud long ago brokered with Wahhabis to assert, and affirm his family’s hold over power.

An echo chamber to Riyadh’s war games in Yemen, al-Sheikh is now looking to religiously whitewash the kingdom’s crimes and belligerence against its Muslim neighbour.

True to form Saudi Arabia is exploiting its “religious” clout to justify its stance and command submission.

As Press TV noted in a report: “Current and former Saudi Wahhabi religious authorities have earned much notoriety by issuing highly-controversial fatwas, which sharply contrast Islamic principles.

Some of these include allowing men to divorce their wives by only texting them, banning fathers and daughters from staying at the house at the same time, ruling that female sheep be buried alive, banning relationships with Shia Muslims, and forbidding seat belts under the pretext that they get in the way of fate.”

Ramadan is a time during which restraint, and reflection should exercise in order to grow closer to God. War does not compute within this equation.

Saudi Arabia willingly engaged Yemen into a brutal war of aggression – there is nothing holy or righteous about murdering a people on account of their faith or political loyalties.

There is no glory is slaying the innocent.

No matter how much Wahhabi window-dressing Riyadh will throw at the world the kingdom does not speak for Islam or on behalf of Islam.

Al-Sheikh’s stance on Ramadan is a parody, a farce played at our expense.

Imam Ali (AS) has said that “Certainly, the best things to be resorted to for God seekers are believing in God and his prophet, Jihad in their way which makes Islam proud, being a theist that human being’s nature demands, praying which is religion pillar and paying Zakat (that is the needy’s rights in your properties and is obligatory in Islam) and Ramadan fasting which deters from torment”.

Imam has also said that “It’s upon you to fast in Ramadan that is like a shield preventing you from the Hell”.

By Catherine Shakdam for Shafaqna