Leading American Muslim cleric, theologian, and academic Dr Sheikh Yasir Qadhi has challenged the Independent UK report on “controversial” proposals of destroying the tomb of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
Dr Qadhi has posted four articles of the said newspaper that accused Saudi authority of destroying holy sites in Makkah from the year 2011 to 2014.
The first three reports were done by journalist Jerome Taylor and the latest report published on September 1 was done by Andrew Johnson.
He also said the journalist Jerome Taylor seems to have an “unnatural obsession” for smearing the Saudis and their relationship with the holy sites.
Challenging his reports, the cleric said,”the alleged 'plan' turns out to be an academic paper submitted to a government committee.”
“Anyone who is aware of the nature of these things realises that the submission of a paper is in no way a fashion or form approval of an actual plan by that committee!”, he added.
However, saying it was not appropriate to explain this complex issue on Facebook, Dr Yasir Qadhi mentioned, “this is NOT a defence of Saudi construction policy around the two Harams: that topic requires an entire article, not just a FB post! There is much to criticise, and yes much to praise as well.”
Dr Yasir Qadhi is considered to be one of the most influential Muslim scholars in the West. A 2011 New York Times Magazine essay described Qadhi as "one of the most influential conservative clerics in American Islam".
Qadhi teaches in the Religious Studies Department of Rhodes College, in Memphis, Tennessee. Additionally, he has completed a doctoral in theology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
He is also the dean of Academic Affairs and an instructor for the AlMaghrib Institute, a seminar-based Islamic education Institution.