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January 10, 2006
Saudi Arabia: Leading Muslim Imam Says Terrorism Is Not Islamic
Reuters today relates that the state-appointed senior imam at the Grand Mosque at Mecca (pictured), has made a speech to pilgrims currently on the Hajj, in which he states that Islam was innocent of the charge of terrorism.
Speaking at the Grand Mosque, which houses the sacred Ka'aba stone (black object in the back courtyard in picture), Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudeis blamed the West for using evidence of global terrorism to scare people away from Islam and de-legitimize worthy Muslim causes.
But for the blaming of the West for the evils of terrorism and also calling for stability in Iraq, his claims that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism are straight re-runs of previous speeches he has made at this time of year, at the feast of Eid al-Adha.
Sudeis said today: "The campaign against Islam has become fierce and Muslims are being described in insulting terms to distort the image of Islam and scare people away from it."
"Islam is innocent of this grave phenomenon (of terrorism). The shedding of blood in this country and other Muslim countries is a forbidden criminal act"
Last year, the Guardian reported that Abdulrahman al-Sudeis at last Eid al-Adha sermon claimed that Islam "does not mean killing", (despite eshortations in the Koran to "kill infidels", and the example of those slaughtered on prophet Mohammed's decree).
In 2005, Sudeis said "The reason for this is a delinquent and void interpretation of Islam based on ignorance... faith does not mean killing Muslims or non-Muslims who live among us, it does not mean shedding blood, terrorising or sending body parts flying." But then he blamed Muslims, who he said had been lured by the devil to stray from moderation.
This time round Sudeis is certainly preaching to the gallery by blaming the West for its "false" perceptions of Islam as a cult of death and violence, exemplified by acts of Islamic terrorists.
If one has any wonders why anti-Israeli sentiment is so rife in the Muslim world, Sudeis spouts from the litanies of those who justify terrorism against the West and Israel. His anti-Israeli tones are no better than those of the freakshow TV imams who appear on cable channels, except here they are being voiced to an audience of 2.5 million people from around the world, at Islam's holiest site.
"When the oppressor Zionist enemy uses its war of smart bombs and tanks against our brothers in Palestine, violating our holy sites, that's not terrorism to their mind -- but defending land, religion and honor is."
He accused Western countries of being hypocritical, when they promoted freedom and democracy but did not include Israel's actions as terrorist.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at January 10, 2006 7:31 PM
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