JEDDAH, 22 May 2003 — Saudi Arabia has set up a special committee of experts to promote a moderate image of Islam, Crown Prince Abdullah announced yesterday. The move seeks to uproot extremism from the country.

“We have entrusted a committee of experienced and knowledgeable people to propagate the moderate views of Islam,” Prince Abdullah told Kuwait’s Assiyassah newspaper.

He suggested there were possible terror cells in other Arab countries. “What we have in Saudi Arabia also exists in abundance in all other Arab countries in the form of sleeping cells,” he said. “Some of them have risen and some others are yet to rise. So we are very worried about these countries,” he said.

He called for strong and frank inter-Arab relations.

He said a number of committees had been set up to implement the ideas expressed in the keynote address of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd to the Shoura Council.

The king had called for improvement in the performance of government agencies.

In his address, King Fahd said the government would go ahead with its reform programs, broaden the scope of popular participation and widen the scope for working women.

Highlighting the moderate views of Islam, Prince Abdullah said he had openly criticized those scholars who follow the extremist line while giving their edicts and opinions.

“Islam is a complete political, social and economic system,” the crown prince said and urged Muslims to act in accordance with the true spirit of their religion.

The crown prince said the Saudi people had dealt with the recent Riyadh bombings in the true spirit of patriotism and a great sense of national responsibility.

He said the government would not show any mercy toward the perpetrators of the terror attacks and those who sympathize with them or condone them.

There was no concrete evidence to prove that Al-Qaeda network had been behind last week’s Riyadh blasts, Prince Abdullah said.

“There are people who say that the attackers are from Al-Qaeda. However I don’t have anything accurate before me that confirms this,” the prince said.

“Whatever the roots of this false ideology, it has deceived youths and promised them heaven after they kill innocent people,” he said.

Describing the blasts as “a satanic act,” he said the terrorist attacks were at odds with Islam and morality. “What were the sins of the elderly, the young and the children of different nationalities who were killed in the blasts?” the crown prince asked.

He added: “It’s a satanic act. Any other interpretation has no place in our dictionary. Such acts are not religious. They have nothing to do with Islam.”

Prince Abdullah highlighted the strong relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States, adding that the terror attacks that targeted American residential compounds in Riyadh would not affect these relations.

“There are some parties, especially certain media organizations, which try to harm this relationship. Our relations with the United States have never been tense. We have been in constant touch and consultations on issues of mutual concern,” the prince explained.

“We have good relations with the US. They respect our views and traditions. What has been reported is baseless. The Americans have never asked us to do specific things. Moreover, those who say that our relationship with the US is tense, they mess up international affairs, notably issues relating to the region and the Middle East,” he added.