Hassan al-Maliki facts for kids

Hassan Farhan al-Maliki (Arabic: حسن بن فرحان المالكي) is a Saudi Arabian thinker who wants to update religious ideas. He was taken into custody in September 2017. Later, in October 2018, he faced a trial by Saudi authorities. He was arrested for his views on certain old sayings linked to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He also criticized some important Islamic figures from the 600s. He was accused of having ideas that went against the country's leaders and religious councils.

About Hassan al-Maliki

Before his arrest, Hassan al-Maliki was a writer, researcher, and historian of Islam. People have described his ideas as moderate and open-minded. He is known for being against extreme religious views. He had been arrested several times before, but this time was more serious. By 2019, prosecutors in Saudi Arabia were seeking very serious legal consequences for him.

His Ideas and Views

Experts in Saudi Arabia had criticized him for his modern and reformist ideas. He was especially known for his views on Wahhabism, a strict form of Islam. He also had different opinions about some historical figures from the 7th century. The court that arrested him was set up to deal with serious national security issues.

Hassan was arrested in September 2017. Charges were brought against him about a year later, in October 2018. Human Rights Watch, a group that protects people's rights, said his arrest was based on reasons that were not real crimes. Michael Page, a director at Human Rights Watch, said that while Saudi leaders talk about supporting a more "moderate" Islam, they also try to punish people who express peaceful ideas. He faced 14 different charges in court.

His Religious Beliefs

While in prison, Maliki said that powerful religious extremists were behind his arrest. He said the Saudi government itself was not directly involved. People have different ideas about his religious group. Some say he is a Maliki Sunni, which is a branch of Islam. Others describe him as a Quranist. This means he follows a school of thought that focuses mainly on the Quran.

Maliki is seen as a scholar who centers his beliefs on the Quran. He has said that many important religious matters are decided by the Quran. He also believes that many widely shared sayings by religious scholars are not truly authentic. He uses different terms to describe followers of various Islamic traditions, often linking them back to the Quran.