Recent controversy surrounding the Mazen Abdul Jawad case has “opened yet another chapter in the conflict between conservative clerics and rich liberal businessmen” in Saudi Arabia, according to Muhammed Hamza of Bikya Masr.

Last July, Jawad, a local Saudi airline employee and divorced father-or-four, shocked millions when he appeared on LBC’s (Lebanese Broadcasting Corp) “Bold Red Line,” a popular yet controversial talk show, and gave graphic accounts of his sex life and details of intimate interactions with women.

The news site stresses, “In Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and one of the most conservative countries in the world, no sexual content is allowed on television or in newspapers, magazines or books.” Women are not allowed to be seen on street without being fully covered.

A majority of Saudi citizens were quite upset at hearing how one of their peers “would pick up women in the Kingdom.” The uproar and embarrassment extended to the Saudi government as well in light of the recent investments made by rich Saudi businessmen in satellite television.

Bikya Mar reminds how“Prince Al-Waled has a substantial stake in Rotana, which runs a variety of channels that present entertainment programs, focusing on Arabic music videos and movies.”

The actions of Jawad on the LBC show last July left the Kingdom’s deputy Prime Minister, Prince Nayif Bin Abd-al-Aziz, no choice but to shut down all LBC offices in the country according to Bikya Masr, Itwas intended to send a message of no tolerance in such instances.

“Every Saudi who invests in satellite television channels has to feel the national and social responsibility towards the country,” said Abdallah al-Jaser, in charge of media affairs at the Culture and Information Ministry.

But the Jawad case prompted conservative Saudi officials and clerics to act further, using the recent “Red Line” scandal as ammunition to tackle a broader issue- that of discouraging wealthy Saudi businessmen from investing in Satellite TV channels that in the minds of the clerics and officials, act as a bridge for media campaigns promoting offensive Western beliefs.

This puts satellite TV stations such as MBC TV, the ART, Rotana, and Al-Arabiya under financial and political pressure from the Saudi government. In a statement published by the Saudi Okaz newspaper in August, Undersecretary of media affairs at the Culture and Information Ministry Abdullah Al- Jasser urged every Saudi citizen who invests in satellite television channels to be responsible and mindful of Islamic Sharia Law.

He noted that the television channels “violated the Islamic creed and public morals and constituted a serious offense to the kingdom,”

Although he mentioned no one by name, Al-Jasser clearly aimed his recommendation at investors such as Prince Al- Walid bin Talal, Sheikh Salih Kamil, and Sheikh Walid al-Ibrahim; owners of Rotana, Arab Radio and Television Network (ART), and Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), respectively.

Clerics in the country such as Sheikh Saleh Al-Lihedan have in the past attempted to address the issue of media censorship in their fatwas. But the recent Jawad scandal has given conservative clerics ammunition with which to once again pursue this aggressively.

Requests have been made not to leave management to people who have orientations and ideas that, intentionally or unintentionally, do harm to the kingdom, to Saudi investments, and to Arabs and Muslims.

The TV show row appears to have opened Pandora’s Box for Saudi broadcasters; it has come as a fresh opportunity for conservative clerics to lash out at the Saudi businessmen who own TV channels.

“MBC, Al-Arabiya, ART and Rotana channels are all axes that destroy Islam and Muslims,” Sheikh Yousef bin Abdallah al-Ahmad, lecturer at the Faculty of Shari’ah in the Islamic University of Imam Muhammad bin Saud in Riyadh, was quoted as telling the Al-Dalil religious TV.

In a fatwaissued over a year ago according to MEMRI TV, Al-Lihedan demanded that owners of liberal Arab TV channels be placed on trial and repent. Today we see the call for a more aggressive stance, as other Saudi ulama such as Saudi University Professor Yousuf Al-Ahmad assert “they [owners of Saudi TV channels] should be tried in an Islamic court of law and sentenced to death.”

It remains to be seen what punishment awaits the man who ignited this recent media clash between conservative values and liberal investors. As Mazen Abdul Jawad awaits his trial, set to be soon after Eid Al-Fitr, questions of responsibility and verdicts are emerging.

According to Maktoob Business, while the chief judge at Jeddah’s summary court believes Jawad’s remarks constitute a moral crime, his lawyers say it is a matter of media infraction and label it an “information issue.” Jawad faces “lashing and jail time” if convicted.