Monday, August 25, 2003
Saudi Muslim Clerics Condemn Terror Attacks by Islamic Extremists
Leading Muslim clerics in Saudi Arabia have issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, calling terror attacks by Islamic extremists "serious criminal acts," the BBC reported.
"Theses acts have nothing to do with jihad for the sake of God," the Council of Senior Clerics said, the BBC reported. "We must rally around the leadership of this country and its scholars, especially in this time of dissent."The council, which is headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Azez al-Sheikh, the kingdom's highest religious authority, said it supported the Saudi authorities in their fight against militant extremists carrying out bombings and murders in the country.
Previously, the Saudi government faced criticism from U.S. politicians that it was not doing enough to fight terrorism.
Senior clerics on the council said those who committed violence under the guise of holy war were "ignorant and misguided," adding that those who supported or sheltered the militants were also guilty of "great sin."
Permalink
