KUWAIT CITY: Head of the Shia Clerics Society in Kuwait Ayatullah Sayyed Muhammad Baqer Al-Mohri has criticized on Tuesday moves by Kuwait’s Ministry of Islamic affairs to monitor mosques run by Shias in the emirate.

“Shia mosques are not under the ministry of Islamic affairs ... The ministry does not appoint our preachers and does not pay their salaries. We do that,” Al-Mohri said.

He was responding to Islamic Affairs Minister Abdullah Al-Maatuk who said that all mosques in the Gulf Arab state come under the authority of his ministry.

Monday, local media reported that the Kuwaiti cabinet issued a “final warning” to Al-Mohri against violating “mosque code of conduct” in his Friday sermons.

Kuwaiti daily Ar-Rai Al-Aam quoted unnamed government sources as saying that the warning was issued after Abdullah Al Maatouq, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Minister, submitted a report to the cabinet during its weekly meeting on Sunday in which he accused Al-Mohri of touching on sensitive political issues in his sermons.

The minister told the cabinet that during last Friday’s sermon, Al-Mohri spoke about the controversial issue of political rights of women and criticized the head of Egypt’s Al Azhar Islamic University for not condemning terrorism in Iraq last week.

The ministry of Awqaf last week ordered all mosque preachers to avoid talking about women’s political rights because it is a controversial issue.

“I have not received any warning and if they send it I will refuse to take it. We are independent from the ministry and we are only loyal to the political leadership of the country, ruled by the Al-Sabah family,” Al-Mohri told the daily.       

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