The Ruling on Demonstrations and Their Impact on Forbidding Evil

We have been afflicted in our lands with those who consider demonstrations permissible in forbidding evil. So when they see a specific evil, they gather and hold a demonstration, and they claim that the one in authority permits them to do such things?The Shaykh: First: Demonstrations are of no benefit, without a doubt; rather, they open the door to evil and chaos. These crowds may pass by shops and items that are stolen, and there may be free mixing of men and women among the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly, and there may sometimes be women present. It is an evil and there is no good in it. However, they mentioned to me that in some Western Christian countries, one cannot obtain one’s right except through demonstrations. The Christians and the Westerners, if they want to expose an adversary, they demonstrate. If this is practiced, and these are lands of disbelief, and they see no harm in it, and a Muslim cannot reach his right, or Muslims cannot reach their right, except through this, then I hope there is no harm in it. But in Islamic lands, I see that it is forbidden and not permissible. I am surprised by some rulers if, as I said, it is true that they permit them, given the chaos involved. What is the benefit of them? Yes, perhaps some rulers want to do something so that the West will criticize them, for example, while they are flattering the West and favoring the West.So he permits the people to demonstrate so that he can say to the Westerners: Look at the people: they demonstrate wanting such and such, or they demonstrate not wanting such and such. So this may be a means to something else, and one looks into it: are its benefits greater or its harms?The questioner: So an evil occurred, and a demonstration was held, and it was beneficial.

The Shaykh: But it causes more harm, and even if it was beneficial this time, it will be harmful the next time.