GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs in the West Bank decided May 25 to ban mosque preacher Walid al-Hodali from taking to the pulpit on Fridays. This decision sparked controversy about the policy to punish and exclude mosque preachers who criticize the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) policies during the Friday sermon. These preachers are accused of provocation and stirring strife.

Hodali, who is from Ramallah, told Al-Monitor, “On May 25, I received a verbal decision over the phone from the Ministry of Endowments in Ramallah and al-Bireh stating that I was banned from giving the Friday sermon under the excuse of offending high authorities and stirring strife among worshippers.”

But Hodali said he received formal notice that he was banned because he strayed from the sermon topic specified by the Ministry of Endowments in Ramallah. The topic was about road traffic safety. He said, “They want preachers to turn into traffic police on pulpits, knowing that there are several important national issues that should be highlighted such as supporting the Great March of Return in Gaza and tackling the repercussions on the Palestinian cause of moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”

The Ministry of Endowments in the West Bank often chooses a theme for all preachers to follow during the Friday sermon, and it issues a written circular that includes the topic of the sermon for the upcoming week as well as themes and Quranic verses to be mentioned.