One cleric called for him to be 'tortured' as a

Al-Ghamdi said he received several death threats after the

A Saudi cleric who once headed Mecca's religious police has received death threats after his wife appeared with him on TV wearing make-up without a veil.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi and his wife told the audience of a chat show that Islam does not require women to hide their faces behind a niqab in public.

However his 'radical' views have created a storm of controversy after his smiling wife, Jawaher bint Al-Sheikh Ali, was seen uncovered, even wearing nail varnish.

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Controversial: Sheikh Ahmad al-Ghamdi, seen here, and his wife told the audience of national television show that Islam doesn't require women to hide their faces behind a niqab in public.

'Happy now? Every mobile phone now has a picture of your wife, you pimp,' one outraged post on Twitter read.

On the show, Al-Ghamdi told viewers: 'The Prophet did not order women to cover their faces. Wearing make-up is allowed.'

'No one is saying that it is not allowed for a woman to cover her face, but I am saying that it is not obligatory and I have evidence in jurisprudence of this.'

It's a shocking U-turn for the former head of the religious police who was responsible for policing the dress code and behaviour of Saudi citizens to ensure that they met strict religious requirements.

The 'police' work on behalf of King Abdullah and make sure that people do not go against strict Islamic rule. They patrol the streets checking dress code and strict separation of men and women.

Confusion? Al-Ghamdi suggested that Muslims became confused about ancient texts that mentioned the head scarf and the robe that women were commanded to wear

King Abdullah: The King employs a religious police to enforce behaviour that goes against strict Islamic rule

The host of the TV show, Badria al-Bishr, also appeared with her face uncovered in a move praised by liberals.

At the time of writing, the interview had racked up over a million views on YouTube since it aired over the weekend.

But Al-Ghamdi told local paper, Al-Watan, that he had received several death threats with one radical cleric allegedly calling for him to be 'tortured.'

RELIGIOUS POLICE IN SAUDI ARABIA T he government-backed mutaween patrol the country to ensure that laws are upheld: They check that women wear the abaya, a traditional all-enveloping black cloak

They make sure that men and women who are spotted together in public are related

They ensure women do not smoke in public Advertisement

Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric, the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh joined the chorus of condemnation against him and urged him to 'ask repentance from God, and back away from this mistake.'

Al-Sheikh told news website Sabq: 'My message to Sheikh al-Ghamdi is to fear God.'

Meanwhile, a group of Saudis from Jeddah said they will take legal action over the stunt.

Yet, despite receiving widespread criticism, Al-Ghamdi believes that there has been confusion over the veil.

He suggested that Muslims became confused about ancient texts that mentioned the head scarf and the robe that women were commanded to wear.

He said: 'Later, people confused the hijab, which was imposed only on the wives of the Prophet Mohammed, with what Allah imposed on Muslim women in general.'

Saudi laws do not require women to wear the niqab, but women who appear in public with uncovered faces may face harassment from religious police.

Al-Ghamdi previously faced a backlash for suggesting that women should be able to go out in public without a male guardian and mingle with the opposite sex in appropriate environments.