JEDDAH, 10 February 2007 — Sheikh Saleh Bin-Humaid, an imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, yesterday urged Muslim scholars who belonged to different schools of thought (madaheb) to work for Muslim unity irrespective of their differences.
Giving his Friday sermon to the hundreds of thousands of faithful who thronged the large mosque complex, he cautioned Muslims against the colonialist policy of divide and subjugate.
“The unity of Muslims and their peaceful coexistence, despite ethnic and madhabi differences, should be the supreme goal and solid policy and there should not be any compromise on that,” the imam said.
Bin-Humaid, who is also chairman of the Shoura Council, was referring to the sectarian violence in Iraq, pitting Sunnis against Shiites, that claimed the lives of hundreds of Muslims. “Scholars, believers and wise people must reject this sectarianism in order to protect the Ummah and prevent division. They should also disown the calls that go against the teachings of the Shariah,” the imam said.
“It should be made known that these kinds of calls and methods are the one followed by colonialists, hypocrites and atheists,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the imam as saying.
Bin-Humaid also commended the peace accord reached by Palestinian factions in Makkah on Thursday. He praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his timely efforts to reconcile the warring Palestinian groups.
King Abdullah, he said, provided the Palestinian leaders “a conducive atmosphere for dialogue without any outside interference or pressure; they talked in a spirit of love, brotherhood, freedom and neutrality.”
The imam praised the Palestinian leaders including President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for rising up to the expectations of the Muslim nation. “You were sincere to God, so He supported your efforts and helped you overcome your differences.”
Bin-Humaid congratulated King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan as well as the Palestinian and Saudi people and Muslims all over the world on this great achievement.
“It’s a historic moment and a great achievement. Everyone is a winner. If the talks failed, it would have been a big loss for all of us and the enemy would have been the winner,” he said. The imam said Israel had exploited the infighting among the Palestinians to attack the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He commended the method adopted by King Abdullah to end Arab and Muslim conflicts. “There are so many other flashpoints in Arab and Muslim countries that demand similar efforts,” he said.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu welcomed the Makkah accord and the decision to form a Palestinian unity government and reactivate the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
“This agreement is the result of continuous efforts,” the OIC chief said and hoped that it would strengthen Palestinian national unity and lift the unjust Israeli blockade around the Palestinian people. He also sent a cable to King Abdullah commending his efforts to make the Makkah meeting of Palestinian factions a resounding success.
