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Posted on 02/01/2004 12:03:43 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's top cleric called on Muslims around the world Saturday to forsake terrorism, saying those who claim to be holy warriors were an affront to the faith.
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In a sermon that was remarkable not only for its strong language but also its timing — at the peak of the annual hajj — Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Sheik told 2 million pilgrims that terrorists were giving their enemies an excuse to criticize Muslim nations.
"Is it holy war to shed Muslim blood? Is it holy war to shed the blood of non-Muslims given sanctuary in Muslim lands? Is it holy war to destroy the possessions of Muslims?" he asked.
A large number of the victims of suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq (news - web sites) and elsewhere have been been Muslims.
Al-Sheik, who is widely respected in the Arab world as the foremost cleric in the country considered the birthplace of Islam, spoke at Namira Mosque in a televised sermon watched by millions of Muslims in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
The mosque is close to Mount Arafat, where the pilgrims converged Saturday for the climax of their annual trek. This year's hajj has been carried out amid heightened security after a year of terror attacks in the kingdom.
In speaking of terrorists who killed fellow Muslims, al-Sheik was clearly referring to the Prophet Muhammad's final sermon, delivered on Mount Arafat 14 centuries ago.
It contained the line: "Know that every Muslim is a Muslim's brother, and the Muslims are brethren. Fighting between them should be avoided."
Al-Sheik also criticized the international community, accusing it of attacking Wahhabism, the sect whose strict interpretation of Islam is followed in Saudi Arabia.
"This country is based on this religion and will remain steadfast on it," he said.
"Islam forbids all forms of injustice, killing without just cause, treachery ... hijacking of planes, boats and transportation means," he said.
Saudi Arabia came under Western pressure after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.
The Saudi government conducted a crackdown on extremist groups after suicide bombers attacked housing compounds inhabited by foreigners in May. Saudi and U.S. officials blamed the attack, and a similar suicide bombing in November, on groups linked to al-Qaida, which is led by the Saudi-born Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).
On Thursday, suspected terrorists shot dead six Saudi security personnel in a shootout in a house in suburban Riyadh.
In total last year, bombings in Saudi Arabia killed 51 people, including eight Americans. Saudi and U.S. officials have blamed the bin Laden's al-Qaida network. Bin Laden is a Saudi exile.
U.S. officials have been encouraging Saudis to crack down on financing for terrorism via religious charities and curtail teaching of religious extremism in schools as well as mount a campaign to undercut popular support al-Qaida.
Liberal intellectuals in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also called for such revisions in the teaching of Islam in schools and mosques.
Governments in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan have taken steps toward purging school books of terms offensive to other religions, and reformers argue that change should start by lessening the religious grip on education.
Al-Sheik warned against "changing the religion's basics" in school curricula.
"The minds of youth in the Islamic nation need to be shielded with Islamic sharia (law) and good manners and deeds. The nation's future generations will only be reformed by what reformed the past generations," he said.
Pilgrim Mustafa al-Shawwaf, a Canadian of Syrian origin, said he agreed that terrorists had tarnished Islam. He criticized Muslim fundamentalists, including the Wahhabis, for practicing an exclusive form of the faith.
"Such rigidity of thought needs to be changed," he said.
The pilgrims arrived at Mount Arafat in the early hours of Saturday. Worshippers of all ages and origins, moving slowly, shoulder-to-shoulder, shaded themselves from the sun with white umbrellas, chanting in unison "at thy service, at thy service, oh God."
Emergency workers directed the crowd as it converged 12 miles southwest of Mecca, in a ritual believed to represent the Day of Judgment, when Islam says every person will stand before Allah, or God, and answer for his deeds.
Temperatures approached 86 degrees. The sunshine made parasols a popular purchase at $1.30 each, and street vendors sold fruit, prayer mats and drinks. Along the path to Mount Arafat, sprinklers mounted on poles cooled worshippers. Free water and milk were handed out.
"This is the worst day for the devil, when he sees thousands of Muslims gathered in such a show of force and piety," said Egyptian Abdel Aziz al-Jezairi.
Fatima Farouk, a Nigerian, said that despite the demanding journey, she was thrilled "because after Mount Arafat, you're almost promised heaven."
Islam has been Jihading right from the beginning. Islam expanded rapidly in the 200 years after Mohammed. Conquered what we we know as the Arab world. Was all done by bloody Jihad, not by voluntary conversions.
Now if only LG will swing buy to courageously confirm the identity of the mysterious "enemy" in the middle of the middle east he mentioned back at 101, that "enemy" that is responsible for attacks against Muslims from the Philippines to Nigeria.
I'm sure he'll come forward now and expound on his point, in detail.
Did someone use the term 'Quisling troll' as if any honest disagreement must come from a traitor to the nation, out to disrupt discussions?
No sh%t Sherlock, I am not disputing that in any way shape or form, so you can save yourself the sermon.
Exactly!
But you also can't place blame for the radical behavior of Islamists in those countries, on Muslims outside that area! The Muslim
The enemy is clearly defined to those looking: Wahabbism, Khomeinism, and the petrodollars that finance them.
Not hardly Luis, every thing I said you are invited to refute. Problem is you can't. I suggest that you examine that fact. Islam starts slow on converts, It takes a while for them to explain away the lies. They start by saying they are chaste, and a religion of peace, then later they add the multiple wives, and the jihad carpola. For a short while you will see that it is lies that you have been told, but if you ignore it and embrace the lies you will soon loose the ability to understand the truth any more. If you are willing to believe what they tell you instead of your own eyes, you will become a mind numbed robot.
Look at what is going on while you can, this may be your last chance. Dare to be free, dare to think for yourself. If you really seek God, you will find him, but if you seek religion, you will find that instead. God is a nice guy, but that should be a clue for you. You ain't a gonna find a nice guy in Islam.
But if you are willing to do the Jihad thing to get to the whorehouse in the sky, you will never find God, cause God is not in Whorehouses.
Just think, if Paradise has rivers of wine, why is it a sin for Moslems to drink here? What do girl Jihadi get, a gangbang? WHERE IS THE LOVE, is rage and lust all there is?
Do they have a entirely different Q'uran to teach from, Q'uran lite? Do they only spank those they steal land from instead of beheading them? Kinda hard to paint a "moderate Muslim" from the Jihad to take over the world bunch isn't it?
It's still a small percentage of muslims who are radicals.
Yeah, only 80% of them believe in blowing up school buses as a hero's actions over here. But then Islam works in stages. Lets see, if it took 19 men to kill 3000+ innocents in the world trade center, and if only 1% of Moslem's were of the "Fundamentalist" flavor out of the 1.5 Billion out there, that means there are only 15,000,000 suicidal maniacs out there. Wonder what happens when any of them get the bomb hmmmm?
Get real, nobody has an ACCECPTABLE percentage of Mass Murders in any group excepting Islam! There are in reality more than enough radical Jihadi to extinguish all life on earth TEN TIMES OVER.
Mankind cannot allow that, so the only recourse is to extinguish all the Mass Murderers. Since Islam is embracing the Mass Murders instead of distancing themselves what choice is there? The problem that you are working so damned hard to whitewash away is spelled out in this article. That is simply this;
Mecca, the core of Islam, just made several speech's like this one saying that the Moderates are wrong, it is ok to be a Terrorist. If the very Core of the religious leaders are pro terrorist, then Moderate Islam is the EXCEPTION not the rule! This clearly means that your statement that only a small percentage of Islamics are Mass Murders is false, here we see that the very LEADERS of Islam itself are ALL PRO TERRORIST.
Islam is the the biggest death cult in Human History, the very embodyment of Satans plan for mankind. You have to be one sick puppy to think that murdering people pleases god, unless of course you also realize that your god is Satan. That is the only way it makes sense.
Where is that a factor in the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kosovo, Algeria, Chechnya, and everywhere else that the black moon-god rock is worshipped?
You explanations are sadly lacking.
This is what he said: "Mankind cannot allow that, so the only recourse is to extinguish all the Mass Murderers."
It is YOUR Freudian slip here to equate all Muslims with Mass Murderers, it seems to me.
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