ShareDUBAI: Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz has ordered an over-enthusiastic columnist to be suspended from his job after he equated him with God, Saudi media reported yesterday. Ramadan Al-Anzi's column in Al-Jazirah newspaper describing King Salman as "Haleem", or forbearing, and "Shadeed al-Eqab", strict in punishment - both terms associated in Islam with God - appeared to have gone too far.
The newspaper published an apology late on Saturday. Saudi media reported that the king had ordered that action be taken against the newspaper. In a message to Information Minister Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad, the king wrote that he was "astonished by some of the phrases used in the column", according to Okaz newspaper.
Online newspaper sabq quoted the king as saying in his written complaint: "This is an issue that has distressed us, we don't accept it and don't approve of it, recognizing its dangers and the danger of being lenient towards it."
