Posted on 01/23/2005 11:29:17 AM PST by nickcarraway
MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- One of Saudi Arabia's most influential clerics urged Muslims to eschew terrorism, saying attacks on the innocent were not in accordance with the teachings of Islam.
"Islam is a religion of moderation. Extremism has no place in Islam," Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais of the Masjid'l Haram (Grand Mosque) said in a sermon delivered for Friday's Eid'l Adha (feast of sacrifice).
He called on followers of Islam to exert all efforts to protect non-Muslims.
Hundreds of thousands of people, from among some 2.5 million Muslims performing the haj pilgrimage in the kingdom, attended the Eid'l Adha prayers.
Al-Sudais' call came in the wake of stepped up attacks by militant Muslims in troubled areas of the Middle East. Some of the attacks have occurred in Saudi Arabia, blamed on militants linked to the al-Qaeda network, which had declared the pro-US Saudi rulers apostates.
In the latest incident in Iraq, a suicide car bomb exploded at a Shi'ite wedding party in a town south of Baghdad late on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 27, doctors said.
There has been a surge in attacks on Shi'ites as Iraq's January elections approach. Earlier on Friday, a suicide car bomber killed 14 Shi'ite worshippers as they left a Baghdad mosque.
Al-Sudais said Muslim scholars should help preach the real Islam to counter what he said was a distorted interpretation of the religion by some people.
"Islam is a religion of peace but some people are using misguided interpretations of Islam to justify (attacks on perceived enemies)," Al-Sudais said.
He said scholars might have to take some of the blame for the "little success" of distorted ideas because they had done little to counter their spread.
"We are now suffering from this dangerous phenomenon. This phenomenon has become widespread that Muslim scholars must hold on to the real Islam," Al-Sudais said.
'Repulsive hearsays'
Earlier, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia urged scholars to use all available materials to teach the correct form of Islam.
Sheik Abdul Aziz Al-Asheik told participants at an international inter-culture conference, which was hosted by the World Muslim League (WML), that Muslims would not have difficulty in establishing dialogues with other sectors because materials on Islam were widely available.
"Many non-Muslims know very little or nothing about Islam and depend on hearsays, which are repulsive and distorted," Al-Asheikh said.
He said people who hated Islam were claiming that the religion encouraged terrorism and extremism, and appeared to be winning in some aspects because some people were starting to think that what they were being told about Islam was the truth.
Exposing Islam's enemies
"It is only through constructive dialogue, led by people who understand Islam and its teachings, that the enemies of Islam could be exposed and their lies refuted," Al-Asheik said.
Al-Sudais said the branding of followers of other faiths as infidels and attempts to incite Muslims to rise against their leaders had caused instability not only in the region but in other areas of the globe, as well.
"Theirs is a delinquent and void interpretation of Islam based on ignorance," he said.
Islam does not mean killing non-Muslims, Al-Sudais said.
"It does not mean shedding blood and terrorism, such as killing people (by planting bombs) to send their body parts flying."
Bombings in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia has not been spared from terror attacks.
Bombings have scarred Riyadh, the country's capital, and militants identified with the al-Qaeda network have attacked facilities manned by foreigners.
In the wake of the violence, Saudi security forces have launched a manhunt for Saudi dissident Saad Al-Faqeeh, allegedly a ranking lieutenant of Osama Bin Laden.
I'll believe it when the terror actually stops.
We will see just how "influential" he is.
It's nice to read about a Muslim leader who speaks ill of terrorism. I wish there were more like him.
If you don't back the Muslims who speak out for moderation, you're not going to get any moderation.
This isn't possible. We have hundreds of posters here who complain that no muslim will ever speak out against terrorism.
We can't be blamed for being skeptical, it HAS been an awful long wakeup call.
Every time they mention one of these clerics they say he is one of the most influential or powerful. Don't they have a ranking system of some kind so that they can control all the other fools running around issuing decrees of all sorts ?
Ahh, but the fundimental question is: how is terrorism defined. Most of these calls to stop terrorism are not to stop terrorism per say, but to stop terrorism against or within Muslim nations. You see, terrorism against infidels is not terrorism, that is Jihad.
I guess he himself hasn't even read Islam's own "holy" texts, a bizarre "Alice in Wonderland" meets Freddy Kreuger world, where rocks and trees call out "Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him" (Hadith Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177)
Baby steps. Speaking out against terrorism is fine. This cleric may even be putting his life in danger for doing so from inside Saudi Arabia. Remember, that's where 13 of the 911 hijackers came from.
"Many non-Muslims know very little or nothing about Islam and depend on hearsays, which are repulsive and distorted," Al-Asheikh said.He said people who hated Islam were claiming that the religion encouraged terrorism and extremism, and appeared to be winning in some aspects because some people were starting to think that what they were being told about Islam was the truth.
Exposing Islam's enemies
"It is only through constructive dialogue, led by people who understand Islam and its teachings, that the enemies of Islam could be exposed and their lies refuted," Al-Asheik said.
Muslims need to wake up to the reality that the chief "enemies of Islam" are the radical Islamonazis (who reportedly "aren't following true Islam").
Non-Buddhists Jews and Christians are "the chief enemies of Buddhism" nor are we the "chief enemies of Hinduism". Muslims would be the chief enemies of those faiths.
"Why's everybody always picking on me?" Charlie Brown as sung by the Coasters (songwriting team of Lieber and Stoller)
For muslims, terrorism is only terrorism when it pertains towards muslims or muslim nations, not towards infidels, where it is holy Jihad.
See my posts and ask for the immam there for clarification.
Obviously a faulty translation. That should read "kill him with kindness". The full citation reads ""Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and smother him with kisses".
I'd be pretty surprised if they had rookie preachin in Mecca on a holy day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.