Al Jazeera anchor says US hurricane is a sign from God

Ahmed Mansour, a well-known Egyptian journalist and television presenter, has gone under fire for a controversial Facebook post deemed insensitive to Florida's Hurricane Irma victims. 

In the post, which has since been deleted, the Al Jazeera anchor suggests the hurricane is a form of divine punishment against the Americans.

As a result, Mansour has been accused of gloating over people's misfortunes and spreading intolerance against non-Muslims.

At least four people have died as a result of Hurricane Irma, which has swept into Florida, flooded its cities, and left more than 3.4 million homes without power. 

Late last week, Mansour took to Facebook to comment on the hurricane's repercussions, posting a picture of the swarmed highways in the American state with a caption that reads: "The great escape from Florida... 20 million Americans flee in fear of Hurricane Irma that is crushing everything. 'And He will show you His signs, and what signs of Allah will you deny?'."

In the post, Mansour refers to a verse in the Islamic Quran, implying that the hurricane is a "sign" from God and suggesting that it is divine punishment.

Mansour's post caused quite the stir online, with many people accusing him of twisting the Quranic verse to offend hurricane victims and justify their plight.

"To suggest that Americans fleeing Hurricane Irma is divine punishment is atrocious, inhuman, insensitive and unprofessional," Egyptian media analyst Abdellatif El-Menawy told Arab News. "This is simply unacceptable."  

"Does he think what is happening in Myanmar is divine punishment? Do the Muslims in Myanmar deserve what is happening to them? This is despicable on Mansour’s part. He shouldn’t have said what he said," El-Menawy added.

One Facebook user wrote in the comments of Mansour’s now-deleted post, according to Morocco World News, "What signs?! Even the murders and killing and destruction happening in Muslim countries are part of His (God's) signs!"

Other users reminded the journalist that many Muslims live in Florida and have also been affected by the disaster.

In the wake of the social media uproar, Mansour attempted to clarify his stance in a follow-up post in which he claimed that people did not understand his post and instead took it out of context.

"I assure you that I did not intend to undermine the divine speech nor the tough times Florida residents are facing," he wrote.

"My citation of the Quran meant to highlight Allah's power and greatness and his signs. And if it has been understood as a form of offense, then I apologize to those I have offended," Mansour added.