Abd al Haqq Kielan
Encyclopedia
Abd al Haqq Kielan is a Swedish Muslim
cleric. He is an Imam
at the mosque in Eskilstuna
and at the Islamic Association in Stockholm. He is also chairman of the Swedish Islamic Society and permanent secretary of the Swedish Islamic Academy.
Kielan was born Leif Karlsson in Eskilstuna
, Sweden
. He first came in contact with Islam during a travel to Morocco
in 1963. He converted to the religion in 1984 when he also changed his legal name to Abd al Haqq Kielan, an Arabic
name which loosely means "humble servant of the truth".
Kielan caused controversy after an interview in 2004 where he said that "it's doubtful" whether women should be entitled to their own social life outside the home. In the interview he also said that women should not be entitled to marry on their own initiative, and that "according to the Law of Moses
, adultery
is punishable by death by stoning
for both the sexes".
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
cleric. He is an Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
at the mosque in Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
and at the Islamic Association in Stockholm. He is also chairman of the Swedish Islamic Society and permanent secretary of the Swedish Islamic Academy.
Kielan was born Leif Karlsson in Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He first came in contact with Islam during a travel to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in 1963. He converted to the religion in 1984 when he also changed his legal name to Abd al Haqq Kielan, an Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
name which loosely means "humble servant of the truth".
Kielan caused controversy after an interview in 2004 where he said that "it's doubtful" whether women should be entitled to their own social life outside the home. In the interview he also said that women should not be entitled to marry on their own initiative, and that "according to the Law of Moses
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
is punishable by death by stoning
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
for both the sexes".