The Shariah considers terrorism one of the most heinous crimes, says Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League. âIslam has nothing to do with terrorism and the two do not meet at any point,â he said. Sheikh Saleh ibn Muhammad Al-Taleb, imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, also called upon Muslims to mind the noble qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). âThe life of the Prophet is full of examples of noble qualities and strong morality,â the imam said while delivering his Friday sermon. âThe Shariah is benevolence in its totality, in its objectives, applications and means. Islam is the religion of mercy not only in times of peace but also during war,â he said.
| "You just don't notice it when they're slaughtering the prisoners and enslaving their wives and kiddies..." |
Turkiâs statement and the imamâs sermon follow the announcement by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday that its security officers foiled major terror attacks in the Kingdom by a 19-member group linked to the Al-Qaeda network. Meanwhile, Dr. Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Salim, rector of the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, rejected suggestions that his institution was one of the breeding grounds of terrorists. âOur university has no relationship with these people (the terrorists),â he told Okaz newspaper.
He added that the university was revising its curriculum regularly to accommodate modern developments. More than 80,000 students have graduated from the university over the past 50 years.
| Brimming with detailed knowledge of the Koran, a bit hazy on the connection between cause and effect... |
Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, reported yesterday that Khaled Muhammad Al-Johani, one of the 19 Al-Qaeda suspects was believed to be the gangâs leader. The Arabic daily said Johaniâs picture had appeared on the website of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) among 17 others more than a year ago. The FBI listed Johani among Al-Qaeda suspects after its agents saw his picture in a video seized from the house of a former Al-Qaeda military commander, Muhammad Atef (Abu Hafs Al-Masri), who was killed in US bombings in Afghanistan in October 2001, the paper said. Johani, who settled in Afghanistan in 1993 along with a number of Arab Afghans, had visited the Kingdom several times using forged travel documents but did not meet his father. Informed sources told the Arabic daily that Johani might have sneaked into the Kingdom a few months ago.
In a related development, Kuwait denied that Abdul Rahman Jabara, one of the 19 suspects, was a Kuwaiti national. âJabara is of Iraqi origin and holds Canadian nationality. He was born in Kuwait and lived here for a long time before settling in Afghanistan four years ago,â a Kuwaiti source told the paper.
| That clears that up, then. Damn those Canucks! |
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