Muslim Cleric Addesses Problems

[HagiaSophia]

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia*Jan 19, 2005 —*Saudi Arabia’s top cleric told 2 million pilgrims from around the world Wednesday that the Islam’s greatest problems are that its own sons are being “lured by the devil” into militancy and a hostile world is conspiring against it.

The pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat for the climax of the hajj, their eyes welled with tears as they prayed on the most critical day of the annual pilgrimage the faithful believe will wipe away their sins.
Sheik Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, speaking at a mosque near Mount Arafat on the climactic day, lamented the violence waged by Muslim militants against Saudi Arabia.

“The greatest affliction to strike the nation of Islam came from some of its own sons, who were lured by the devil,” the cleric said. “They have called the nation infidel, they have shed protected blood and they have spread vice on earth, with explosions and destruction and killing of innocents.”

He pointedly asked of Muslim youth: “How would you meet God? With innocent blood you shed or helped shed?”
He warned them not to be used by enemies of the nation to weaken it. (The Associated Press)

abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=425795

 

[gilliam]

I wouldn’t get my hopes too high if I were you. What he said was:

*“Oh Muslim nation, there are campaigns waged against the people of Islam – military campaigns, thought campaigns, economic campaigns, and media campaigns,” Sheik Abdul-Aziz al Sheik, the kingdom’s grand mufti, said at a mosque on the plain of Mount Arafat. *
“They are all against this religion. The nation was described as a terrorist nation, that we are terrorists and backward,” he said. “Conferences have been held and conspiracies have been woven, all unjustly and unfairly.”

*Al-Sheik urged worshippers to abide the words of God and his prophet and not be “fooled by a civilization known for its weak structure and bad foundation.” *

He seems to be referring to the West here.

Later he talks against Al-Qaeda’s attacks upon Saudi Arabia

themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/01/20/253.html

 

[HagiaSophia]

gilliam:

I wouldn’t get my hopes too high if I were you. What he said was:

Oh I didn’t get my hopes up - the rest of my link alluded to the fact that he wasn’t happy with the West but yours gave far better detail.

 

[Lance]

I can’t wait to hear Matt25 and Norwich’s spin on this.

 

[Lurch104]

Lance:

I can’t wait to hear Matt25 and Norwich’s spin on this.

I would expect them to say something like “All non-muslems should just jump off of a cliff so that we won’t force them to sin by killing us directly”.