A leading Saudi religious scholar, third in a row, supporting militants, has recanted and withdrawn his earlier "Fatwa" (edict), describing it as a grave mistake, a news report said.
"Should have issued it under a fake name."
Sheikh Ahmad Bin Hamoud Al-Khalidi revoked his Fatwa in an interview telecast by the state-run Saudi Television. Al-Khalidi was the third scholar detained by Saudi authorities this year for promoting militancy, who renounced his support for militants and condemned terrorist attacks. He is also one of the three scholars arrested by Saudi authorities last May following the Riyadh bombings for issuing Fatwas in which he had declared killing of security personnel during confrontations "halal" (permissible).
Funny how being in the jug causes them to change their minds.
Earlier, Al-Khalidi had also ruled against giving information to security forces relating to the 19 suspects named by Saudi Ministry of Interior a week before the May 12 bombing. Last month, two Saudi scholars including Ali Al-Khudair and Nasir Al-Fahd had recanted their Fatwas on the Saudi Television. Al-Khalidi said that he was shocked at slowly increasing voltage by the suicide bombing at Al-Muhayya housing compound in Riyadh last month, which killed 18 people, and wounded more than 200, mostly Arabs. He said the attack was a sinful act and the bombers were not martyrs because they violated Islam by killing both Muslims and non-Muslims, who were under the protection of the State, murdering women and children, harming security and property, and distorting the image of Jihad (holy war) and Islam. "Blowing oneself up in such operations is not martyrdom, it is suicide. How can they kill Muslims, innocent people, and destroy property in the home of Islam?" Al-Khalidi said.
"They should have just boomed the Jooooooos like good muslims, it would have saved me a lot of pain." |