Saudi Arabian authorities fired the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Watan, a leading reformist newspaper, yesterday after an influential cleric issued a religious edict calling for a mass boycott of the daily, which is owned by a member of the royal Al-Saud family. Saudi editors at the daily said that Editor-in-Chief Jamal Khashoggi had been sacked on Monday evening, some hours after Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman al-Jibrin issued an edict saying the paper had ridiculed "virtuous" people. This followed a campaign launched by the Arabic-language Al-Watan against the powerful religious leaders of the ultra-conservative kingdom, and was seen by many journalists as an indication of a power struggle between the strict Muslim establishment and reform-minded officials. Al-Watan recently published a series of damning articles against the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the so-called religious police in Saudi Arabia, which enforces the kingdom's austere brand of Islam.

Khashoggi is regarded as a leading reformist voice in Saudi Arabia. He wrote several editorials condemning religious extremism after the suicide bombings that killed 34 people in Riyadh this month. Like other media in Saudi Arabia, Al-Watan follows strict Government guidelines on its editorial content. It is owned by the son of Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Last year, the Saudi authorities fired three editors of local newspapers, including one from Al-Watan, for allegedly printing articles deemed as harmful to the kingdom. This week, Interior Minister Prince Nayef met senior editors of several Saudi newspapers and urged them to avoid publishing news that he said was "damaging and misleading."

The Al-Jazeera all-news satellite television station said yesterday it will replace its general manager, Mohammed Jassim al-Ali. The popular Arab station did not explain why it decided to replace Ali, who has managed it since its inception seven years ago. Jihad Ballout, communication and media relations manager, said Ali "will not serve in his capacity as the general manager of the station. But he maintains his membership on its board of directors." The seven-member board of directors is chaired by Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al-Thani, a member of Qatar's royal family. The board is responsible for the channel's editorial policy.

Sources at Al-Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Ali offered to resign a couple of months ago because of a disagreement he had with a member of the station's new board of directors. Sheikh Hamad appointed a new board in February. Ali was not available for comment. He was an assistant to the director of Qatari Television before being transferred to Al-Jazeera when it was launched in 1996, with a five-year $150 million loan from the Qatar Government. Since then, the station has claimed full independence from Qatar's Government.