NOTE: A previous version of this article described al-Khabari's argument as "the Earth does not rotate around the Sun". It has been corrected to "the Earth does not rotate".

A video appearing to show a Saudi cleric saying the Earth does not rotate has gone viral, generating humour and criticism. In the clip, a man identified as Sheikh Bandar al-Khaibari appears to respond to a student's question on whether the Earth is stationary or moving by saying that it is "stationary and does not move".

He illustrates his theory with a sealed water cup, trying to explain how a stationary plane would have trouble reaching China if the country was rotating away from it.