Abdullah al-Saleh (activist)
Abdullah Mohammed al-Saleh (Arabic: عبدالله محمد الصالح) is a London-based Kuwaiti activist known for his controversial views within Gulf society on several topics, including gender segregation, wearing the hijab, and women's liberation.
Abdullah Mohammed al-Saleh عبدالله محمد الصالح | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Kuwaiti |
| Occupation | Political talk show host |
| Known for | Tahiyati wa Ashwaqi |
Biography
Al-Saleh is a national of Kuwait and holds a doctorate in economic development.[1] He is known by his popular name al-Bronzi (the Bronze), has been described as a "sheikh" or "da'iyah" (Islamic preacher), and is famous for his YouTube channel "Tahiyati wa Ashwaqi" (My greetings and salutations) in which he expresses his liberal views toward social attitudes and his political views. As a result of this, he has been invited to the Kuwaiti comedic talk show Swar Shuaib and the Saudi Arabian news channel Al Arabiya.
Controversies
Support for Qatar
He has come under widespread scrutiny after moving to Qatar in July 2017[1] and expressing his support that country amid the 2017 GCC diplomatic crisis and open criticism of the governments of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt.
In July 2017, al-Saleh released posted regular videos on social media platforms such as Snapchat and YouTube arguing against the "Blockade coalition" (UAE, Saudi, Bahrain) stance and actions against Qatar, arguing that they only resulted in increasing in isolating those countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council and increasing its problems. This produced strong reactions, with UAE and Saudi lawyers making official complaints to Kuwaiti courts alleging incitement to hatred and al-Saleh was ultimately sentenced in absentia.[1]
Social views
Some of the most controversial of his views are his opinion that Friday prayers should be conducted in "beaches" and "gardens" without any form of "gender segregation".[2]