Free Republic

Terror-loving Saudi religious scholars have called on Iraqis to support militants waging jihad against the U.S.-led coalition forces, saying fighting the occupation was a duty and a right. In an open letter to the Iraqi people posted on the Internet yesterday, 26 Saudi scholars and religious preachers stressed that armed attacks launched by militant Iraqi groups on U.S. troops and their allies in Iraq were "legitimate" resistance. The scholars -- some of whom have been criticized in the past for their extremist views -- issued a fatwa, or religious edict, prohibiting Iraqis from offering any support for military operations carried...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Prominent Saudi religious scholars urged Iraqis to support militants waging holy war against the U.S.-led coalition forces as American troops prepared Saturday for a major assault on the insurgent hotbed of Fallujah. The 26 Saudi scholars and preachers said in an open letter to the Iraqi people that their appeal was prompted by "the extraordinary situation through which the Iraqis are passing which calls for unity and exchange of views." The letter was posted on the Internet.

Saudi Arabia's royal family has habitually confounded pessimists and optimists alike. For those who predict sudden collapse and revolution, or breakthroughs in reform and enlightenment, the kingdom is a serial disappointer. Not even 9/11, which was inspired and largely carried out by Saudi nationals, or the furious U.S. reaction to that day of horror seems to have changed the Saudi syndrome. After a period of tension and uncertainty, the family of more than 5,000 "princes" who form the governing political and commercial elite of a country that bears their name has once again regrouped and stabilized around its desire to...