Known for his progressive views, Odah is the first Sunni scholar to be sentenced to death in crackdown led by Saudi crown prince A Saudi prosecutor demanded the death penalty for prominent Sunni scholar Salman al-Odah on Tuesday, his son and Saudi rights groups confirmed. Odah, 61, is an internationally renowned Sunni Muslim scholar and cleric known for his progressive views on controversial social issues. He was referred to a secret trial in mid-August in Riyadh after nearly a year in detention without charges. Saudi official media announced on Tuesday that "a person affiliated with a terrorist organization" was sentenced to death, but did not name Odah. Saudi rights activists told Middle East Eye that leaked news from a Riyadh court confirmed that the person is Salman al-Odah, who is affiliated to the International Union of Muslim Scholars, which the kingdom has labelled as a "terrorist organization". https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/...y-against-sunni-scholar-salman-odah-168423080 So much for that new wave of tolerance we were promised from the new prince. It appears that the views of more progressively minded muslims are still not being tolerated in the kingdom. On a separate note, it also goes to show how easily the "terrorism" label can be misused to quash those with ideas conflicting with the government.
