Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies) - If satellite television channels broadcast "immoral" programs, it is "permissible to kill" their owners and editors, because they are violating the rigid norms on customs and morality established by Islam. This is affirmed by the sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan, the most authoritative judge on the Saudi court, according to whom certain "diabolical" entertainment programs can foster "debauchery" among their viewers.

With the spread of satellite television channels, the Arab world has seen a rapid increase in broadcasters capable of transmitting their signals to the entire region of the Middle East, where there are watched by millions of Muslims each day. For this reason, religious leaders are carefully following the popularity of the programs, and are evaluating them carefully in regard to the values of Islam.

The sheik expressed the fatwa in response to a question from a listener during a radio broadcast. In the Arab world, religious leaders frequently use radio, television, or websites to express views or judgments on the most disparate aspects of daily life. in this case, the listener was asking how appropriate it is to broadcast programs showing "scantily" dressed women during the holy month of Ramadan. Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan's blunt and disturbing reply was that "some broadcasts are diabolical", and the owners are just as "guilty" as those who watch this trash TV. He also added that "it is permissible to kill" if there are no other means or punishments to stop this "devilry".

Already in the past, the 79-year-old religious leader had drawn attention with his "sentences", including his favorable view of the Saudis who want to join the Islamic fundamentalists in their fight against the Americans in Iraq. This new fatwa could even strike the Saudi royal family: one of the most popular Arab television channels is Rotana, which broadcasts music films and videos and is owned by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. The Saudi billionaire was recently named the 13th richest man in the world by Forbes, and the programs broadcast on his television channel are not always in line with the rigid and austere style imposed by Islamic precepts.