IMRA Newsletter
Saudi Sermon: Israeli Conspiracy behind Riyadh Terror? O God, destroy the occupier Jews
[FBIS (US Government service) Translated Excerpt]
Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television station of the Saudi Government, at 0915 GMT, 14 November 2003 carries a 23-minute live sermon from the Holy Mosque in Mecca.
An unidentified shaykh delivers the sermon. He begins by praising God, the messenger, and his companions and advises people to obey God, stressing that the blessed month of Ramadan is a month of worshipping and love for God and his messenger. He also urges Muslims to treat one another well. The imam devotes the first sermon to obedience to God as a way to success.
In the second sermon, the imam calls on Muslims to refrain from "hurting faithful men and women, spreading panic, killing innocent people, and shedding prohibited blood." He says: "Do they want to make themselves fuel for blind sedition? What is the purpose of the black crime of killing children and women in the month of Islam, in a Muslim capital, and in a Muslim country, the country of the two holy mosques? They kill and spread destruction. What is the purpose of this crime and how can we explain this behavior?"
Turning to the situation in the "occupied" Palestinian territories, the imam says that at a time when children, women, and men in Palestine "are killed and their homes are demolished," "other children, women, and men in Riyadh are killed, their homes are demolished, and their property is destroyed." Condemning Israeli practices, the imam also says: "Terrorist Israel is spreading corruption in Palestine, and other terrorists are spreading corruption in Riyadh. Israel hates, kills, besieges, and displaces Muslims in Palestine. What do these killers in Riyadh want? Do terrorists in Israel and Riyadh have the same goal? Is it their goal to kill more Arabs and Muslims and to spread panic, trouble, and violence? Do they coordinate their actions?"
The imam then urges the society "to raise its voice and to close their ranks in order to protect the country and people from killing and black destruction." He praises the Saudi security forces and urges media organs to play "a special role" by projecting the role of the citizen "as a real partner."
Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims, humiliate infidelity and infidels, and disappoint tyrants, atheists, and Islam's enemies. O God, help your faithful servants score victory. O God, protect us and our homelands and give wisdom to our leaders." He goes on: "O God, help the mujahidin score victory, elevate your word, and strengthen your religion. O God, help them score victory in Palestine and elsewhere. O God, help them defeat their enemy and your enemy. O God, destroy the occupier Jews, who are spreading tyranny and corruption."