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JEDDAH, 12 August 2006 — The imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah yesterday warned against the consequences of religious wars and clashes of civilizations, saying no country would be safe from such explosive incidents.
Delivering his Friday sermon, Saleh ibn Muhammad Al-Taleb also blasted the use of veto power against Muslim issues and interests at the UN Security Council.
The imam wondered why some Western governments were supporting the Israeli occupation of Arab land and the atrocities committed against Muslims, endangering their political and economic interests in the Muslim world.
He said it was in the interest of Western governments to establish stronger ties with Muslim countries that possess valuable natural resources including oil and have a combined population of nearly 1.5 billion.
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But these governments ignored Muslims and supported their enemy that has occupied their land after driving away their people,” the imam said.
He said many Western intellectuals have opposed religious wars between nations. However, religious sentiments were exploited to achieve certain goals.
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This will create an explosive situation and no country will be able to get away from its terrible consequences,” he explained.
He urged people of Western countries to change their biased attitude toward Muslim issues by changing their leaders and governments through ballot boxes.
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Otherwise, everybody will be considered a partner in these acts and responsible for their consequences,” he said.
Sheikh Saleh said some influential countries, maddened by their power and hegemony, were engaged in winning more enemies and spreading hatred among nations. The imam said such policies would breed more violence.
He referred to the pledge that had been taken by nations after the world wars to prevent a repetition of such dreadful incidents that had killed millions. Muslim countries joined the United Nations and other international organizations believing they would bring peace and security to humanity.
He said the United Nations had failed to achieve its goals as wars and bloodbaths continue to take place around the world. The UN stood like an observer when Western countries occupied Arab and Muslim lands.
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It not only takes the position of an observer but also the role of an agency that justifies the crime,” Sheikh Saleh told the hundreds of thousands of faithful including a large number of foreign pilgrims.
“We have seen positive intervention of these organizations very rarely and at many occasions it came after a lapse of time and after creating a fait accompli serving the interests of the aggressor,” the imam said.
Sheikh Hussein Al-Asheikh, the imam of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, also spoke about the Zionist attacks against Muslims in different parts of the world. He urged Muslims to strengthen their faith in God and stand united to face present and future challenges.
Last week, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, another imam of the Grand Mosque, described the Israeli military campaign against Lebanon as “Zionist terrorism” and urged that the perpetrators behind the aggression must be tried for committing war crimes.
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Those who condemn violence and fight terrorism must see how the children and orphans in a refugee camp were obliterated and listen to the cries of widows and mourners there,” the imam said, in reference to the Israeli bombing of the Lebanese village of Qana killing mostly women and children.
He said the current campaign of the Jewish state against Lebanon and Palestine had unmasked those who have been supporting the enemy and misleading the world opinion by raising the slogans of humaneness, peace and democracy.
Al-Sudais said the new world order failed to stop Israeli barbarism and despotism. “
We should know that these killings and aggression are directed against every Muslim,” he said.
The imam also spoke about the irony of calling the heinous Israeli aggression and massacres as legitimate acts of self-defense and condemning the resistance of the oppressed as acts of terrorism.
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