Okaz/Saudi Gazette DAMMAM — A Saudi preacher was severely criticized for saying "women would come home drunk" if they were allowed to drive. Calls were made on social media for his trial for undermining women's rights and making false allegations against them. Sultan Al-Dighailbi, nicknamed "Abu Zugham", made his misogynous remarks against women at a religious lecture he had delivered recently. Clips showing the scholar's statements went viral on social media and there was an uproar calling for him to be put on trial for his mockery of women. Former judge and lawyer Nasser Al-Yamani said he was planning to file a lawsuit against Abu Zugham for his abusive claims. He added that he was ready to represent women who might be considering to take the preacher to the court. Yamani questioned who gave the man the license to deliver a religious lecture and asked the concerned authorities not to allow any preacher to deliver lectures without ascertaining what he would say. "How can we resolve complicated issues in our society if we have such men like him among us?" he asked. A number of renowned scholars have denounced the remarks made by the preacher against women and said he should be tried for making such false allegations. Qais Al-Mubarak, former member of the Supreme Commission of Scholars, warned preachers against using words without realizing their real meanings and dimensions. "People are free to express their opinions on all subjects but without harming the feelings of others," he said. He said the listeners would judge lecturers by what they hear from them without giving much thought to what might be going inside their hearts. "It is only Al-Mighty Allah who knows the real intentions of people when they speak," he added. Al-Mubarak strongly condemned Abu Zugham for what he said about women and asked all Muslims to stick firmly to the teachings of Islam, which prevent people from abusing or criticizing each other. Lawyer Khaled Al-Fakhry, secretary-general of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said Abu Zugham's generalizations were inappropriate and could not be accepted. He asked women to file lawsuits against the scholar. "No man has the right to belittle women or talk lightly about them. We will not accept false allegations against women who are protected by the system and law," he said. Fakhry said Abu Zugham's statement against women aired by television channels and published by newspapers was a crime under the media and publications law and as such the preacher should be put in jail. He said women, who were hurt by his statements, have every right to sue the preacher.
