Saudi Arabian King Abdullah Fires Advisor Over Ultraconservative Comments

Saudi Arabia‘s King Abdullah has dismissed advisor Sheik Abdul-Mohsen al-Obeikan after the aide criticized reforms aimed to ease restrictions on women in the majority Muslim country.

The AP reports that al-Obeikan told broadcast station UFM that:

“This situation is a very dangerous one that is linked to schemes by influential people to corrupt Muslim society by removing women from their natural position.”

The former adviser also stated that officials in the country were attempting to Westernize and to secularize the country’s laws by “legalizing taboos.”

According to Euro News, Saudi newspaper columnist Hossein Shobokshi stated:

“He’s taken a lot of positions in the past against the royal family and this is another one.”

Following his dismissal, al-Obeikan posted on Twitter that he hopes the kingdom’s rulers are kept away from “bad advisers.”

King Abdullah has been working to slowly move the country away from religious conservative laws, and toward more liberal laws, like ones that will help women.

Robert Lacey, author of “Inside the Kingdom,” stated:

“Abdullah has to reckon with the political and social weight these guys carry. Although it is the very opposite of their image outside the country, inside the country the Al Saud are seen by conservatives as dangerous modernists who are undermining the traditional values of Saudi society.”

In 2010, al-Obeikan caused an uproar when he suggested that a woman would be able to spend time alone, and even appear without her veil with an unrelated man, as long as he drank her breastmilk. He states that this would establish a mother-son bond, according to Islamic tradition. This suggestion is rejected by many Islamic scholars.