RIYADH: Twitter is nothing more than “a source of lies” and evil, Saudi Arabia’s top Muslim cleric said, in comments that sparked lively debate on Tuesday on the microblogging site.

“If it were used correctly, it could be of real benefit, but unfortunately it’s exploited for trivial matters,” Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said on his “Fatwa” television show broadcast late on Monday. Twitter is “the source of all evil and devastation”, the mufti said.

“People are rushing to it thinking it’s a source of credible information but it’s a source of lies and falsehood. “The social media platform is popular among both men and women in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, where some supported the mufti’s views but many others objected.

“This is why I will repent, and close my account to distance myself from this great evil,” one Twitter user wrote with apparent sarcasm.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2014