Saudi cleric praises Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for 'representing Islam'

Saudi cleric praises Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for 'representing true Islam'

A popular Saudi cleric has praised Mohamed Salah, Liverpool FC's Egyptian footballer, for "representing Islam well in England."

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1 min read

Karim Traboulsi

20 Mar, 2018

Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian Muslim football star playing for English club Liverpool F.C. [AFP]

A popular but controversial Saudi cleric has praised Mohamed Salah, Liverpool FC's Egyptian-Muslim footballer, for "representing Islam well in England."

Commenting on Salah's four goals against Watford F.C. Saturday, Dr. Aidh al-Qarni praised the player's practice of kneeling down on the pitch to thank God after scoring.

"This reflects his pure monotheism and true representation of Islam, perhaps better than a hundred or a thousand sermons," Qarni wrote on Twitter.

"May Allah keep you a star and a luminary, with every representative of Islam," he added.

Qarni called on his followers to encourage Salah for "representing Islam in the best way."

Qarni's tweet follows claims by Liverpool F.C. fans of intending to convert to Islam because of Mohammed Salah.

According to his Wikipedia entry, Aid al-Qarni is a Muslim scholar, author, and activist best known for his self-help book La Tahzan (Don't Be Sad).

Al-Qarni is on the United States and was barred entry in 2012 and 2015 to attend a convention in Chicago over accusations of encouraging radicalism.