Posted on 03/21/2008 11:58:37 AM PDT by JeepInMazar
Saudi Arabia is to retrain its 40,000 prayer leaders - also known as imams - in an effort to counter militant Islam.
Details of the plan were revealed in the influential Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat.
The plan is part of a wider programme launched by the Saudi monarch a few years ago to encourage moderation and tolerance in Saudi society.
The ministry of religious affairs and new centre for national dialogue will carry out the training, the paper said.
The centre was created five years ago to disseminate a moderate interpretation of Islamic tradition.
There is growing awareness in Saudi society that security measures alone are not enough to counter the threat of Islamic militancy.
Scepticism
Saudi clerics have long been accused of encouraging Saudi youth to join global jihad and of inciting hatred of non-Muslims.
Nearly 1,000 imams have already been sacked over the past few years.
The Saudi royal family has come under increasing pressure - mainly from Washington - to change religious textbooks and to rein in militant clerics.
But critics are sceptical about whether such initiatives would work as long as the powerful, and ultraconservative, religious establishment in Saudi Arabia continues to exert enormous influence over society.
Only last week, a prominent cleric called for the beheading of two liberal writers who had questioned the orthodox view that Muslims can not change their religion.
Oops, this is a duplicate of http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1989203/posts
I imagine that will be one fun seminar.
The imams are not clerics but laity.
Let me help. OK class “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” now write that 10,000 times. And repeat after me “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” “Blowing yourself up is bad!!!” .....
Can I help a bit more?
Now class, remember with 72 beautiful virgins comes 72 ugly grumpy mother-in-laws.
Now say after me “with 72 beautiful virgins comes 72 ugly grumpy mother-in-laws.” “with 72 beautiful virgins comes 72 ugly grumpy mother-in-laws.” “with 72 beautiful virgins comes 72 ugly grumpy mother-in-laws.” “with 72 beautiful virgins comes 72 ugly grumpy mother-in-laws.” ...
“...in an effort to counter militant Islam.”
Are they trying to change the home land of militant Islam? Militant Muslims from all over the world will gather there to prevent this from happening.
Expect to see the Mother of All Civil Wars as Saudi implodes.
But wait! The American cavalry is on it’s way to prevent that from happening and thereby assure the uninterupted flow of OIL to the West.
The philosophy of ‘martyrdom’ by blowing up women and children is not only sick, disgusting, wrong, and cowardly; it is against the words of the religion they claim to be believers of.
Not good. The radical youth of Saudi Arabia will rise up against the Saudi rulers.
Except a large number of those youth have gone off to Iraq and died. That’s probably why the Saudi rulers have the opportunity to clip the wings of the radicals.
Might we be quietly winning this war against radical Islam in a big way?
Maybe they can retrain them to be Mormons or Jehovahs Witnesses or Pentacostals since none of those sects have tried to blow up anybody in the last century.
Just thinking out loud here.......
The got the idea from Starbucks. Fraudi Arabia will be closed for three hours during the retraining.
I read about the plan, but have no idea how they expect to implement this. I wish them luck.
Ah, but the only way to keep them from preaching death is with an interpretation that includes one, some rope, a few heavy rocks and a deep spot in the ocean.
I believe so. Until recently they were just waiting out the Bush administration.
I think the only way you can “retrain” a militant Imam is with a .45!
That might not be a good idea. If someone's retraining doesn't quite take, you might get a pissed off Jehovah's Witness who'll cut your head off if you refuse to take "The Watchtower."
“Not good. The radical youth of Saudi Arabia will rise up against the Saudi rulers.
Except a large number of those youth have gone off to Iraq and died. That’s probably why the Saudi rulers have the opportunity to clip the wings of the radicals.
Might we be quietly winning this war against radical Islam in a big way?”
In another 8-10 years we will have to slaughter another generation of unwanted males due to polygamy. They need to prescreen their fetuses and abort most of the males if they are going to have 50 wives.
I am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
oh my...that is really funny
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