RIYADH, 14 April 2008 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday denounced the deviant ideology that promotes terrorism and said Saudis would stand firm against terrorists.
King Abdullah made these remarks while opening the 41st conference of the Federation of Arab Universities at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.
"Crimes begin from sick and deviant minds, especially terrorism. While confronting terrorists, we should also deal with this murderous ideology that transforms deceived youth into tools of killing and destruction," the king said.
King Abdullah emphasized the moderate teachings of Islam and said extremists would fade away like they did in the past and the moderate majority would remain. "The great Saudi people... will stand as a strong barrier in the face of these defeated deviants and Satan's followers," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as saying.
The king earlier commended Saudi security forces for their bravery and sacrifices in defeating terrorists. "There is no place amongst us for those who raise weapons against us," the king said quoting a Saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Earlier on arrival at the venue, King Abdullah was greeted by Interior Minister Prince Naif, chairman of the university's board of directors, and Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamdi, the university's president.
Prince Naif praised the king for taking a firm stand against terrorists. "This resolute stand has encouraged our security officers to fight terror," he said. Prince Naif later awarded the king a honorary doctorate degree in security sciences.
