 | Once upon a time, not so very long ago as history is measured, the Turks ruled over Arabia with a strong hand. Though Turkey is now but a small rump of her former glory, the Turks have not forgotten that once they were chosen by their god to rule over the others in all the part of the world that mattered. |
Turkey's top imam blasted the Saudi grand mufti's call to "destroy all the churches" in the Gulf region, saying that the announcement is in total contradiction to the peaceful teachings of the Moslem religion.
| So true. But consonant with the violent teachings of the Muslim religion, which were revealed later and therefore supersede the earlier ones, we are told. But shhhh! Don't say it where the kufrs can hear, lest they become suspicious and wary. |
Speaking to Today's Zaman, Mehmet Görmez, head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, said he cannot accept the Islamic religious order --fatwa -- issued by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, adding that the mufti's remarks run contrary to the centuries-old Islamic teachings of tolerance and the sanctity of institutions belonging to other religions.
| How fare the Christians in Turkey, Imam Gormez? Have you yet given back the Hagia Sofia? Have you permitted the Halki Theological Seminary to reopen, that new priests might be trained? |
He emphasized that Islam has always respected religious freedom.
| So long as jizya is paid and the sultan isn't feeling cranky... |
"The opinion of the grand mufti also obviously contradicts the agreements that the Prophet of Islam signed with the non-Moslem communities both in Medina and in the region. It also plainly overlooks the right of immunity given by Islam to the holy shrines and temples of other religions on the basis of the rule of law throughout its history," Görmez explained.
Sheikh Abdulaziz reportedly made the controversial statement during a meeting with a delegation from the Kuwait-based Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage in response to a query about Shariah law concerning the construction of churches in Moslem countries. He issued the fatwa in March, saying that further church building should be banned and existing Christian houses of worship should be destroyed.
Görmez slammed Abdulaziz, stating, "We strongly believe that this declaration has left dark shadows upon the concept of rights and freedoms in Islam that have always been observed on the basis of its sources, and it will not be recorded as an opinion of Islam." He also added, "We, therefore, entirely reject the aforementioned opinion and hope that it will be amended as soon as possible."
Turkey's top Moslem holy man challenged the Saudi grand mufti's assertions on the established principles in Islam. "We believe that the mentioned opinion is evidently against the aims of Islam, especially in a region that witnessed the descent of the Holy Koran and the first application of the Sunnah of the Prophet. It is against the Moslem tradition's established practice of respecting non-Moslems' rights as well," he noted. |