A top cleric in Saudi Arabia says that in Islam, chess is considered similar to gambling and a form of wasting time. The statement has since caused a social media outcry.
Stating that chess is forbidden in Saudi Arabia's fatwa, also known as an Islamic religious ruling, was instigated by the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh through a television program aired on Almajd network, which eventually made its rounds online.
This is Saudi Arabia's mufti ruling that chess is haram. No comment: https://t.co/vaeThPozDP
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) January 21, 2016
"The game of chess is a waste of time and an opportunity to squander money. It causes enmity and hatred between people," Al Sheikh said, according to Reuters. He then continued to establish his statement based on a verse on the Quran.
Human Rights Foundation's Chairman and the 13th world chess champion, Russian Garry Kasparov, expressed his dismay on the statement in a tweet.
"Saudi Arabia trying to ban chess is stupid, but we should be more concerned about their bans on human rights and democracy," Kasparov tweeted, according to the Agence France-Presse.
Saudi Arabia trying to ban chess is stupid, but we should be more concerned about their bans on human rights and democracy. — Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) January 21, 2016
One Twitter user made a comic, and other users were not happy about the statement.
Here's the reason why chess is Haram in Islam pic.twitter.com/EBKGWPo7hT — हरीश (@TheBigMochad) January 22, 2016
I heard a news item about Saudi Arabia banning chess. I guess they don't appreciate games that aim to topple the king.
— Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) January 21, 2016
Despite the negative feedback from the public, chess is not officially banned in Saudi Arabia since backgammon and cards are still continuously played in the Middle East, according to the New York Daily News.
