MAKKAH, 29 September — The imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah yesterday called upon world leaders not to resort to violence in response to the terror attacks against the United States on Sept. 11.
Delivering his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais also urged Muslims to differentiate between terrorism and legitimate holy struggle. He rejected terrorism as totally un-Islamic.
“From the podium of the Grand Mosque, the forum of truth, justice and peace, we call upon the world’s decision makers to adhere to wisdom and judiciousness while dealing with events,” he said.
“We should exercise restraint and look at things very deeply, we should give priority to public interests and promote world peace and security,” Sheikh Sudais said addressing the faithful who thronged the mosque.
“Problems and negative phenomena in societies cannot be solved by resorting to violence,” he insisted. They can be dealt with through dialogue, reviewing stances, establishing justice and equality, discarding hate and racism and acknowledging the rights of the oppressed Muslim Ummah, Sudais said.
The imam emphasized the main Muslim issues: Palestine, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the rights of Palestinians to live in peace and security in their homeland. He condemned Israel’s terrorist acts against unarmed Palestinians and its loathsome designs against Islamic holy shrines and monuments.
Sudais warned Muslims “not to mix up the concepts of real terrorism and legitimate jihad (holy war),” which he said was governed by clear rules and ethics.
“It would be a grave calamity when the followers of this phenomenon (terrorism) use religion as a camouflage, because true Islam stands innocent from all that,” Sudais said.
“Islamic teachings stand above people who believe in violence as a course of action, sabotage as a method and bloodshed as a way of reform, and then do not consider the grave dangers to the future of Islam and Muslims, especially Muslim minorities around the world,” the imam said.
Officials in Islamic countries have voiced concern over an anti-Muslim backlash in the West after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Sheikh Sudais said terrorism has become an international phenomenon. “It is not limited to a particular place or time. It has become an organized, criminal and armed activity,” he explained.
He said terrorists are devoid of human and religious values as they violate teachings of all divine religions and international norms and charters. “Islam prohibits injustice and causing harm to others, and calls to give justice even to the enemy to prevent violence.”
He referred specifically to the horrific aftermath of terrorism and violence over the past years. “Those who carry out terrorist acts are sick-minded and criminal people. They don’t show any mercy or humanness,” he said.
Sheikh Sudais called for the establishment of an international Islamic organization to tackle the dangerous phenomenon of terrorism at regional and global levels by conducting scientific studies on its reasons and causes with objectivity and transparency. He urged international media, especially those in the West, to report events with justice and fairness in mind, and not to level accusations against others on the basis of hearsay and rumors.
