MAKKAH, 2 February — The imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, where several thousand pilgrims have already arrived to take part in this year’s Haj pilgrimage, yesterday lambasted the Western media for launching a smear campaign against Islam and Muslims.
"The mask of the Western media has now been removed. It is quite evident that most of the news agencies and satellite television channels are controlled by Zionist organizations, and are dummies in the hands of the Zionist lobby," Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais said in his Friday sermon.
Addressing the faithful who packed the large mosque complex, Sheikh Sudais urged the Muslim media to counter the smear campaign forcefully and effectively, highlighting the greatness of Islamic culture and teachings.
He also criticized attempts to curb the activities of legitimate dawa, charitable and relief organizations under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
There has been a worldwide clampdown on charitable organizations accusing them of financing the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Makkah imam called upon the international community to differentiate between terrorism and the legitimate right of a people to resistance against oppression.
"Do you think the Israeli atrocities in the Palestinian territories get along with truth, justice and humanness?" he asked the Western media.
"If the Zionist practices in Palestine are not terrorism, then what is terrorism?" he stated.
The imam stressed that Islamic civilization, based on faith in God and high moral values, will remain strong, despite these campaigns. He said Western civilization, which has lost its credibility due to its materialistic ideology, is no longer qualified to lead the world to happiness and stability and ensure human rights.
"Modern history is a witness to the savagery and ruthlessness of these people despite their glittering slogans and international charters and agreements which call for protecting human rights," he explained.
