 Sheikh Saleh Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs, endowments and call and guidance, has called upon Muslims to make all-out efforts to defend the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. "We have to use all legitimate means to defend the holy book," he said.
| The Arabian definition of "legitimate" being pretty fluid... |
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the minister said the enemies of Islam have been targeting charitable societies for memorization of the Holy Qur'an all over the world by describing them as breeding grounds of terrorism. "The Qur'an schools run by these charitable societies are the lighthouses of the Muslim ummah and should not stop their activities (under pressure)," Al-Asheikh said.
| Lose the madrassahs and you've lost your indoctrination centers... |
He emphasized that defending the Qur'an and the Sunnah (the teachings of the Prophet) is the duty of all Islamic governments and organizations as well as every Muslim individual. The minister denied closing down any Qur'an school in Saudi Arabia for extremist activities. "Al-Hurriya Charitable Foundation was shut for organizational reasons and not for supporting terrorism as claimed by some people," he said.
| "Us Soddies don't support terrorism. We support... ummm... something else." |
He said the Supreme Commission for Relief Works Outside Saudi Arabia will set up its board of directors shortly. Al-Asheikh said the Kingdom will continue to send Islamic preachers to foreign countries during summer holidays. "These preachers will be under the direct supervision of the government and include well-known Islamic scholars," he explained.
| "We intend to continue subverting the entire world. We've got the money, so we think we can do it." |
The minister lambasted those who attack the Qur'an and try to defile it. He said the enemies of Islam not only target Muslim nations and governments or their economic and political interests they also started defiling Islamic sanctities. "We have seen people desecrating the Qur'an while some others have authored imitations of the holy book and urged believers to follow them," he said. He said the machinations of the enemies of Islam have now come to the open. "They make overt and covert attacks against the Qur'an. Their aim is to change the holy book and prevent people from following it. All Muslims must come forward to defend the Qur'an," he added.
| Sounds like a call to arms to me... |
Al-Asheikh's statement follows reports last month about the desecration of the Qur'an by US officials interrogating prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. The incident drew condemnation and protests from Muslims all over the world. The consultative Shoura Council has called upon the United States to apologize to Muslims if the reports about the Qur'an desecration were true. The Shoura said it considered the desecration of the holy book as an attack against Muslims and a violation of international law and conventions.
| Hyperbole and hysteria are excellent propaganda weapons, aren't they? |
The council warned America against hurting the feelings of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims and emphasized the importance of respecting the beliefs of other people to avoid conflicts. "Islam is a great religion with a large number of followers all over the world and is known for its long history as well as humane and just teachings," the Shoura said in a statement.
The United States hasn't warned the world's Mooselimbs about hurting the feelings of Americans. Perhaps we should, though I have no idea who'd organize the anti-Muslim street demonstrations and the Koran burnings.
One of the very first thoughts that occurred to me in the wake of 9-11, as the Arabs were dancing in the streets and hollering "Death to America", and the Chomskies and Zinns were blaming attacks on us on us, was "Why is it always incumbent on us to be nice to them? Why is there no reciprocal obligation?" There has been no answer to that question, and as a result my feelings toward the Muslim world range from cautious acceptance, through mild revulsion, through derision and ridicule, to stunned anger coupled with the overwhelming desire to kill them in droves.
Sheikh al-Sheikh falls into the latter category, even though he hasn't personally cut anyone's head off that I know of. In a just and logical world, his remarks would at least be deserving of a stern diplomatic note followed by a chill in relations, but my guess is that either the remarks aren't going to be noticed at the State Department, or they're going to be glossed over. |
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