Twitter 'source of all evil': top Saudi cleric

Says microblogging siteis exploited for trivial matters

RIYADH: The microblogging site Twitter popular among both men and women in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia is nothing more than "a source of lies" and evil, the kingdom's top Muslim cleric said.

"If it were used correctly, it could be of real benefit, but unfortunately it's exploited for trivial matters," Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Sheikh said on his "Fatwa" television show broadcast late Monday.

Twitter is "the source of all evil and devastation", the mufti said.

"People are rushing to it thinking it's a source of credible information but it's a source of lies and falsehood."

Saudi Arabia adopts a strict version of Sunni Islam, including a segregation of the sexes, that influences all aspects of life in the Gulf kingdom.