DHAKA: A prominent Saudi religious scholar has been criticised and praised in equal measures after he waded into a controversy over gifts to women in the media.

Mohammad Al Arefi said that he offered gifts to 100 actors, singers and radio hosts and that he was thankful to them for accepting them.

The gift was a box that contained a copy of the Quran, a set of lectures and a bottle of perfume, the scholar posted on his Twitter account where he has more than 7.6 million followers.

The list of those who were offered gifts included some of the most popular women working in the media, prompting critics to lash out at his action.

‘Religious scholars are very particular about dealing with women who do not cover their heads,’ one critic said.

‘As they usually refuse and rule out any contact with these women, why is Al Arefi dealing with them? Why does he reject for others what he allows for himself? That is not fair,’ the critic said, cited by Kuwaiti news site Al Aan, reports gulfnews.com.

Another critic said that he was shocked by the scholar’s gesture.

‘I wonder what Shaikh Al Arefi would say if someone offered a gift to his wife,’ he said.

‘Even the reference to ‘love and appreciation’ in the message with the gift is puzzling.’

A blogger, writing under the moniker “Liberated Kuwaiti’, said that the world had gone mad.

BDST: 1810 HRS, JAN 08, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor