RIYADH: The Council of Senior Scholars has condemned the menace of terrorism in the strongest possible terms defining it as "a crime aimed at corruption via destabilizing security and committing crime against people, public and private property."

The council has come up with statements summarizing its crucial decisions on the menace with examples of terrorism, Islamic ruling on terrorism, the ruling over financing terrorism, punishment for committing terrorism, ruling on sheltering terrorists and pursuing terrorists and cooperation in this regard saying, "all Muslims must cooperate with security authorities for the complete eradication of terrorism."

The council said the Islamic ruling on terrorism describes it as a heinous crime, injustice and aggression that is prohibited by the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah.

The council maintained that financing terrorism or attempting to do so is completely forbidden, and is considered a crime punishable by Islamic law.

"This applies to providing, collecting or participating in these crimes by any means, whether the assets were financial or non-financial legitimate or illegitimate," it underlined.

Earlier denouncing terrorism, Mohamed Al-Khunaizi, a senior member of the Shoura Council, told Arab News, "We condemn terrorism in all its manifestations, be it in our country or outside the country in any parts of the world as terrorism is contrary to the teaching of Islam and to the values of mercy it brought to the whole world."

Playing a significant role in countering terrorism, the Mohammed bin Naif Center for Advice, Counseling and Care rehabilitates convicted extremists through counseling and religious re-education, as a significant part of the Kingdom's counter-terrorism strategy.

After successfully completing the de-radicalization program and renouncing any notion of fighting abroad or joining terror operatives, those rehabilitated serve as mentors for new entrants to the center.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) recently applauded the positive role of the center in combating terrorism and rehabilitating people with extremist ideologies.

The commendation came in a resolution passed by the UNHRC at the conclusion of its 31st session in Geneva that concluded on March 24. The council hailed the center, an important element of the Kingdom’s counterterrorism program, for proper advice, counseling and positive care for inmates’ reintegration into society to join mainstream Saudi culture for constructive work.

Founded in 2007 by Prince Mohammed bin Naif, the main aim of the center is the rehabilitation of the misguided through religious re-education and psychological counseling of people with extremist ideologies.

The idea is to return extremists to the true values of Islam. The center employs intensive religious instruction by deconstructing extremists’ interpretation of the Holy Qur'an.

The Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC) has come up with a comprehensive report on the role being played by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, describing him as the man behind the Kingdom's counterterrorism strategy.

The report maintained that the crown prince played a key role in the elimination of Al-Qaeda, helped to thwart a terrorist plot to blow up the US Consulate in Jeddah in 1998 when then-US Vice President Al Gore was visiting, worked relentlessly to counter terrorism, reassured foreign residents in the Kingdom of their safety and security and achieved a hard-won equilibrium in facing terrorists by striking a balance between firmness and reassuring the local and international public opinion.

"It was his tremendous effort that terrorists lost their battles and confrontations in the Saudi streets," said the SAPRAC report adding, "his most prominent success was in thwarting any attempts by terrorists to gain sympathy from the public."