Mujtahidd (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
: مجتهد) is the
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
handle of an pseudonymous activist, described as a 'whistleblower' and a 'household name among Saudis who use social media', who publishes information alleging to expose corruption, inner state of affairs, and under the table workings of politics within the Saudi royal family. His Twitter account was created in 2011, and before 2015, he focused mostly on exposing corruption and the rise to power of
Khaled al-Tuwaijri
Khalid al-Tuwaijri is a former chief of the Royal Court of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who was the highest ranking non- prince in the kingdom until his ousting by King Salman in 2015.
At chief of the royal court, al-Tuwaijri became the most ...
, previous King Abdullah's chief of court. In 2015, his Twitter account was suspended after he posted a series of documents regarding Princess
Maha Al Sudairi (divorced wife of former Interior Minister
Nayef bin Abdulaziz
Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, نايف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود, ''Nāyif ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd''; 1934 – 16 June 2012) was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and deputy prime minister from October 2011 and the min ...
).
Recent developments
After creating a new account and regaining his old username, his tweets now focus on Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, translit=Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), colloquially known by his initials MBS or MbS, is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. H ...
's consolidation of power and the new status quo of Saudi Arabia under the crown prince. His identity is disputed, with the most popular theories being that he is a member of the Saudi royal family or the London-based opposition activist Sa'ad Al-Faqih.
Focusing on political analysis, investigative journalism, and 'leaking information' from within members of the Saudi royal family, Mujtahid has been termed the 'Julian Assange of Saudi Arabia' by Western news outlets. A survey in which 10,000 people participated has shown that 60% of Saudis believe in Mujtahid's claims of leaked information while 67% believes that what he is doing "serves as a watchdog for corruption that is related to the royal family."
According to Madawi Al-Rasheed, Mujtahidd was the first to predict that crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef would be replaced with Mohammed bin Salman], and that Miteb bin Abdullah would be dismissed as the commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
[Madawi Al Rasheed. (2 May 2018]
Saudi Arabia's whistleblower returns with more palace intrigues
''Middle East Eye''.
In 2018 Mujtahidd tweeted that Mohammed bin Salman has surrounded himself with foreign security experts, and abandoned the traditional way of co-option of family members of dissidents. Instead, dissidents families who remain in the country are now punished and detained, as a means of pressuring dissidents back to Saudi Arabia.
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References
External links
Mujtahidd's Twitter account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mujtahidd
Living people
Saudi Arabian dissidents
Year of birth missing (living people)
Pseudonymous writers
Unidentified people