Mauritanian Cleric Issues Fatwa: Vitiligo is Caused by a “Lick from Satan”
After issuing a fatwa banning the consumption of Egyptian chicken in favor of Turkish chicken, Mauritanian writer Mohamed Amin revealed another strange fatwa issued by Mauritanian cleric Muhammad Hassan Oueld Ad Dedou, in which he considered the skin disease vitiligo to be the result of those affected being “licked by Satan.”
During an interview on the program “Sijal,” hosted by Saudi journalist Mishari Al-Zaidi on Al Arabiya channel, he said that “Oueld Ad Dedou claimed that washing hands and rinsing the mouth with a specific prayer from fabricated and weak hadiths helps cure this disease,” adding, “He is basically an uneducated man.”
Vitiligo is a hereditary skin condition caused by a defect or disorder in the production of melanin, a natural substance produced in the body that gives color to the skin and hair.
This is not Oueld Ad Dedou’s first strange fatwa; he has previously issued a fatwa permitting the consumption of Turkish chicken while prohibiting Egyptian chicken because he is involved in the poultry trade with Turkey.
Oueld Ad Dedou’s fatwa dates back to 2016 and 2019, in which he permitted the consumption of Turkish chicken in Mauritania, justifying it by saying that the meat imported from Europe and America is not slaughtered according to Islamic law, as the companies producing it are purely commercial with no connection to religion. They use blood-contaminated slaughter methods, making it haram (forbidden). He pointed out that if a properly slaughtered animal is mixed with carrion, it is unanimously considered haram.
He also added that the meat in Turkey is slaughtered by Turkish Muslims who use pure slaughter methods, criticizing the poultry slaughter methods in Europe and Egypt as being mixed with blood. He emphasized that the meat produced in Turkey is clean and produced by Muslim companies that pay zakat (alms) to Muslims.
According to what Al Arabiya reported from Mauritanian writer Mohamed Amin, Oueld Ad Dedou is involved in investments in the poultry trade with Turkey, which is why he favors Turkish chicken in his strange fatwas and prohibits chicken imported from other countries.
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It is worth noting that the Mauritanian cleric’s full name is Muhammad Al Hassan Oueld Ad Dedou, born in 1963 in Nouakchott. He is considered one of the prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Mauritania and the international organization of the group.
He established and chaired the Center for Training Scholars in Nouakchott and presided over Abdullah bin Yasin University in Mauritania, in addition to his membership in the International Union of Muslim Scholars, founded by the former Mufti of the Brotherhood, the late Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.
