Posted on 12/01/2003 6:18:03 AM PST by joesnuffy
Saudi official blames 'foreigners' for terror Prince implies al-Qaida not responsible for recent attacks
Posted: December 1, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Prince Abdul Rahman, Saudi Arabia's deputy minister of defense and aviation, says "foreign hands" are behind the Riyadh bombings that left scores dead – implying the attacks were not the work of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network but rather nations opposing the country's strict adherence to Islamic law and which want to impose foreign domination upon the kingdom.
He called on the armed forces to be ready to defend the country against foreign interference with all the force at their disposal, according to an Arab News report.
The prince said the kingdom would continue to apply Shariah law and said foreign countries stood behind "recent events," in an apparent reference to the Nov. 8 bombings in Riyadh, adding that it would be regrettable if it were proven that they were friends of the kingdom.
"Saudi Arabia is among the countries being targeted by those who don’t want to see the Kingdom apply Islamic law," he said. "The divine system and the man-made system should not be equated. They (foreign hands) want to make us accept man-made laws and follow what others want us to do. Being one of you, I find myself obliged to tell you that plots are being hatched against you, including the recent criminal acts.
"There are some countries that stand behind these acts. I know that none of you will accept this. They seek to divide you into parties and groups that fight each other and so fulfill the wishes of outsiders. This will not happen because you all reject it," he was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as telling officers and soldiers at the base.
Prince Abdul Rahman said no one who truly believed in God would accept the rule of foreigners.
"We thank Almighty God that the rulers and people of this country have never been subjected to foreign rule, either covertly or overtly or through some authority claiming to be advocates of Arab nationalism or Islam," he said.
He said those behind the recent criminal acts in the country would not succeed.
"They want to harm this country because they don’t tolerate anyone who truly believes in God and applies divine laws," he said. "But no matter what they do and regardless of the bombings and killings, they will not prevail because we will all stand firm in the face of these attempts. You in the armed forces and your colleagues in the security forces will continue to do the missions you have been entrusted with, and you should always be fully prepared to defend your country."
Hah! Great strategy. The Saudis are trying to appeal to muslims by coming out to the right of bin Laden.
It's worth noting that the recent bombing in Saudi Arabia did not take place in a Moslem neighborhood but in an enclave of Lebanese Christian "guest workers".
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