Saudi Grand Mufti declares chess "forbidden and forbidden"
Saudi Arabia’s highest religious official has described chess as “gambling” and a “waste of time and money.” He also claimed that chess fuels “hatred and enmity.”
Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, issued a fatwa, prohibiting and declaring the game of chess "haram."
According to the Guardian newspaper, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia considered the game of chess an example of "gambling" and described it as a "waste of time and money."
Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh also claimed that chess creates "hatred and enmity" between the parties to the game, which is another reason for banning the game.
In justifying his fatwa, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia referred to a verse from the Quran that prohibits "intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and fortune-telling."
These statements by Saudi Arabia's highest religious official were met with many reactions on social media.
Read more: Saudi Grand Mufti calls Muhammad's birthday celebration a superstition and innovation
An unnamed member of the Saudi Arabian Chess Federation also told CNN that they were "shocked and appalled" by the Grand Mufti's fatwa and were awaiting a clearer explanation as to why they had taken this stance.
The member of the Saudi Arabian Chess Federation said that the federation has not yet received an official order banning chess.
This is not the first time a Muslim religious authority has banned chess. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, the former leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, also banned chess in a fatwa “if it is considered an example of gambling.”
Currently, the Iranian Chess Federation has extensive activities, and Iranian chess players participate in various international competitions.
