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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Full Focus Photos of the week Our top photos from the past week. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read State and local governments bleeding jobs | 08 Jul 2011 Over 1,400 arrested, tear gas fired in Malaysia protest | 11:18am EDT New "win a baby" game draws fire 07 Jul 2011 Internet providers to act against online pirates 07 Jul 2011 Freshman senator gives Obama debt-limit fits 9:06am EDT Discussed 100 Jury resumes deliberations in Casey Anthony murder trial 88 Asia pollution blamed for halt in warming: study 60 China warns U.S. officials not to meet Dalai Lama Watched A Tokyo-Paris flight in under three hours on the horizon Fri, Jun 24 2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive in LA Fri, Jul 8 2011 Jobs put brakes on Wall Street gains Fri, Jul 8 2011 Saudi arrests hardline cleric al-Ahmed: activists Tweet Share this Email Print Related News U.S. and French envoys in Hama, 13 killed in Syria Fri, Jul 8 2011 Saleh speech underscores Yemen's political divide Fri, Jul 8 2011 Syrian forces shoot dead 14 in Hama: activists Tue, Jul 5 2011 Syria tank assault kills 11 near Turkey border Wed, Jun 29 2011 Yemen soldiers killed in south, 300 defect: opposition Wed, Jun 29 2011 Analysis & Opinion Russian Muslims ask Moscow to lobby Saudis for increased haj quota to Mecca Pakistan’s Shamsi base : a mystery wrapped in a riddle Related Topics World » RIYADH | Sat Jul 9, 2011 7:49am EDT RIYADH (Reuters) - Hardline Saudi cleric Sheikh Youssef bin Abdallah al-Ahmed, known for his controversial views on Saudi society, was arrested on Friday, Saudi activists told Reuters on Saturday. Interior Ministry officials were not immediately available to comment. "The sheikh was arrested on Friday and is now being questioned by the authorities, the reason might be because he has called for the release of political prisoners," said a Saudi-based activist. The world's biggest oil exporter is counting on government handouts of an estimated $130 billion, nearly 30 percent of its annual economic output, to lessen grievances among its growing, and increasingly young, population that could lead to a challenge to the conservative status quo. Al-Ahmed was arrested in Dammam, capital of the kingdom's eastern province, during a visit to his father, another Saudi-based activist said. Known for his controversial and often extreme views on Saudi society, al-Ahmed has called for the Grand Mosque in Mecca to be demolished and rebuilt in a circular shape to allow full segregation of men and women. The former lecturer at Imam Saud University has also campaigned against the employment of women. Activists said al-Ahmed had called for the release of political prisoners in response to appeals for help from the families of such prisoners. Thousands of people are held in Saudi prisons without being charged or given access to lawyers, despite a law that limits detention without trial to six months, activists said. King Abdullah said in a decree issued in March that the country's ruling Sunni elite would tolerate no dissent, and that the media must respect the Sunni clerics who oversee the application of sharia, Islamic law, in the Islamic state. The decree, an apparent response to the pro-democracy uprisings sweeping much of the Arab world, said the religious body headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh that is responsible for issuing official religious opinions, or fatwas, would open new branches across the country. The decree said this was part of efforts to promote "moderation" and fight extremism. (Reporting by Amena Bakr; editing by Tim Pearce) World Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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