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Saudi fatwa urges use of âall meansâ" to halt âfierce onslaughtâ on Muslims
Saudi Arabiaâs religious authority issued a fatwa, or religious edict, yesterday urging Muslims to use "all means" to stop what it called "the fierce onslaught" on Muslims by "occupation forces" in Iraq.
| "Guns, rockets, explosives... You guys know what 'all means' is..." |
What Muslims in Iraq are being subjected to amounts to "one of the worst kinds of injustice and aggression" and is a "criminal act," said the permanent committee for scientific research and issuing of fatwas, chaired by grand mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh. The committee "strongly denounces the killing, terrorising of peaceable (civilians), destruction of property and demolition of mosques over the heads of worshippers, which the Muslim brethren in Iraq are being subjected to, especially in the city of Fallujah at the hands of the occupation forces," it said. The committee "urges every fair person among Muslims and others in the world to denounce this fierce onslaught and strive by all means to stop it and punish those responsible for it," said the fatwa, carried by the state SPA news agency.
| Yeah. When's the bus leaving Riyadh for Fallujah? |
The six-member committee, which is derived from the Council of Senior Ulema headed by the mufti, did not specifically name US forces, but called on Iraqis to close ranks and be "confident of Godâs victory." The Saudi government on Monday expressed "concern" over the loss of civilian lives in Iraq, reiterating earlier calls for a greater United Nations role to shepherd the war-torn country to stability. The Saudi appointed Shura (consultative) Council also issued a statement on Monday saying it was "appalled at the killing, displacement and destruction" unfolding in Iraq and calling for an immediate halt to the bloodshed.
Posted by: TS 2004-04-15 |
