KUWAIT CITY // Government officials in Kuwait announced yesterday that they pulled a prominent imam off television over previous comments they say stoked sectarian tensions and promoted an Al Qaeda-linked rebel group in Syria.
Shafi Al Ajmi's show, Following the Path of the Prophet, premiered on Monday on state television in Kuwait. By yesterday, the information minister Salman Al Homood said that the show had been cancelled and that an investigation had begun into determining those responsible for putting the cleric on the air.
"The Ministry of Information does not approve of airing episodes for any individuals who instigates hatred and promotes such rhetoric," Mr Al Homood said.
Sheikh Al Ajmi declined to comment yesterday.
Sheikh Al Ajmi regularly writes anti-Shiite comments online suggesting that the Shiite faith should be banned in Muslim countries. He also gained notoriety in the kingdom when he appeared in an online video in which he celebrated the beheading of a Hizbollah leader and his son.
He also raises funds for Syrian rebel groups, including Jabhat Al Nusra.
