DUBAI (Farrag Ismail, AlArabiya.net)

Controversial Egyptian preacher Sheikh Wagdi Ghoneim is searching for a new home after Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa revoked his residency permit for insulting Kuwaitis and their late Emir.

In a statement to AlArabiya.net, Ghoneim said he is finalizing arrangements to move to another Arab country, but did not reveal the destination for fear his Kuwaiti detractors would obstruct the process.

Before Bahrain took him in, Ghoneim was deported from the United States after a two-month detention. He was charged with violating immigration laws and threatening national security, but not proven guilty on any of the charges.

Ghoneim and his family lived in Bahrain for three years, during which he said he was given the utmost support by the king, the government, and the people.

The problem began when a Kuwaiti paper uncovered a tape recording of one of his sermons from 16 years ago, in which he allegedly condoned the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and labeled Kuwaitis as gays and sodomists.

But Ghoneim refuted the charges, and said he was speaking about a gay protest that took place before the Iraq invasion in 1990.

"Denouncing such a protest doesn't mean insulting the entire Kuwaiti people. Every society has its good and bad, and Egypt is a live example. They took the words out of context to incriminate me. Why didn't they mention how I condemned the Iraqi invasion and pledged my support to the Kuwaiti people?"

Ghoneim said no investigation was conducted to verify that the voice on the tape was his, and accused three Kuwaiti MPs from the Salafi bloc of trying to frame him.

Ghoneim also said he addressed the issue on his website, where he expressed his respect for Kuwait and its people and explained that he was victim to a political conspiracy.

Ali Omair, one of the MPs who Ghoneim blames for framing him, said in a recent statement the accusations are groundless.

"Salafists are not happy with what happened to him, but they are wondering why he deviated from Islamic principles by attacking them…We will not have in Kuwait anyone that insults it. He has to be brave enough to apologize for what he did."


(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid).