Name Mujtahid Hareth | ||
Mujtahid Bin Hareth Bin Hammaam is a Saudi citizen who uses the Twitter ID @Mujtahidd, or Studious in Arabic.
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Exposing the Al Sauds
Mujtahid Bin Hareth Bin Hammaam, or @Mujtahidd, is known for tweeting controversial information about the royal family of Saudi Arabia, especially focusing on Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, the youngest son of the late King Fahd. He has published tweets that have included information, deemed inflammatory, about the current King, the Crown Prince, and several Ministers and high-ranking officials from the royal family. Nicknamed the "Julian Assange" of Saudi Arabia, @Mujtahidd has sparked a wave of criticism, prompting the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia to issue a decree asking Saudis to disregard Twitter, claiming "it spreads lies and smears personalities." Despite the criticism, @Mujtahidd gained 200,000 followers between December 2011 and February 2012 alone, and continues to gain followers. In an interview with a Saudi newspaper, @Mujtahidd announced the reason he chose to time his revelations about the crown family as he did. His rationale was that Princes Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd and Talal Bin Abdul Aziz had begun using Twitter and telling the public they wanted rehabilitation, reform and freedom, when, according to @Mujtahidd, the Princes are "liars and impostors."
In September 2012, @Mujtahidd focused on Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister, Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, questioning his ministerial competence. @Mujtahidd claimed that Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Muhammad bin Nayef was overseeing most of the Ministry’s affairs, and that the two ministers were involved in disagreements regarding business and financial issues.
Tweets from @Mujtahidd on October 13, 2012 delved into the politics of the Al Saud succession. @Mujtahidd provided information on important factors including the health of the King and Crown Prince, the marginalization of the role of the Allegiance Council, and the possible heirs among the sons and grandsons. Major problems he described are the possibility of having an incapacitated king and a "game of thrones" among the grandsons. The question becomes, according to @Mujtahidd, "not what the shape of the conflict is but who is eligible and who is preparing for the battle from now?” @Mujtahidd told Equal Times in November 2012 that his next tweets will be “warning people of the impending dispute within the royal family which might turn violent.”
Kuwait Protests of 2012
On the 31st of October, @Mujtahidd leaked a number of tweets containing details of an agreement between the Kuwaiti government, Jordan and other Gulf countries to suppress the popular movement in Kuwait in September 2012. The tweets accused Jordanian King Abdullah II of receiving six billion dollars from the Kuwaiti government. In return, Jordan will send 16,000 police officers to help the Kuwaiti security forces to crack down on protesters calling for reforms and more political participation in Kuwait. Jordanian and Kuwaiti ministers deny that Jordanian riot troops were used to quell protests. As of November 4, 2012, @Mujtahidd asserted that Jordan is supplying 100 judges to help change Kuwaiti law in favor of the ruling regime.