From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Sun Sep 01 2002 - 19:20:06 MDT
Saudi Opposition Sheikhs on America, Bin Laden, and
Jihad
On July 10, 2002, the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera
interviewed Saudi sheikh Mohsin Al-'Awaji; a previous attempt
by Al-Jazeera to interview him was prevented by Saudi
authorities. Sheikh Al-'Awaji holds a PhD from the University of
Wales in the U.K., and has served as the imam of the Great
Mosque at King Saud University in Al-Riyadh. During the
interview, two other Saudi sheikhs were also interviewed by
telephone: Dr. Safar Al-Hawali, who leads the opposition to the
U.S. military presence in the Arabian peninsula, and Dr.
Muhammad Al-Khasif, from the city of Buraydah, which is
known as a conservative Wahhabi center. All three served
extensive prison terms for criticizing the Saudi regime and calling
for "reform" (which for them means more adherence to Wahhabi
teachings) following the Gulf War. The following are excerpts
from the discussion:[1]
Saudi-U.S. Relations and the U.S. War on Terror
Sheikh Al-'Awaji: "The Saudi people were not surprised by what
the U.S. did, for several reasons. First, Islamic history proves that
the conflict between truth and falsehood has been going on since
the Divine Inspiration descended [upon the Prophet Muhammad],
and it will continue until Judgment Day. As a government, Saudi
Arabia provided the U.S. with superb services, which no other
country has given."
"Americans are in three American bases¦that are there because
of a decision by the Gulf rulers, and the [Islamic] nation knows
that they violate the words of the Prophet, who ordered the
banishment of the Jews and Christians from the Arabian
peninsula¦"
Sheikh Dr. Safar Al-Hawali: "¦The relations between America
and us differ from the relations between us and all the other
peoples or nations. These are relations between two [very]
different nations: One is a nation that was chosen by Allah, who
tested it and purified it with disasters so that it will atone for its
sins. Allah is using that nation in order to wave the banner of truth
and justice on the face of the earth. This is our nation. There is
also a tyrannous and evil nation that Allah is manipulating,
unbeknownst to it, until it reaches the end to which it is sentenced
“ the same end that was the lot of all the nations of heresy,
tyranny, and aggression such as the peoples of Noah, 'Aad,
Thamud, and Pharaoh."
"Since World War II, America has not been a democratic
republic; it has become a military empire after the Roman model.
It is even more abhorrent because its administration is ruled by the
pressure groups that are the most dangerous to the human race “
the companies that create destruction and sell arms. Therefore, the
American way can be discerned and defined in one word: war.
America unhesitatingly enters into war anywhere in the world “
unless it assesses that the benefit of such a war will not satisfy its
insatiable appetite. Then it calls for a kind of peace that will
permit American companies to sign profitable contracts, with the
aim of usurping resources under the slogan of cooperation in
development. Thus, we notice that America is always seeking an
enemy “ and if it does not find one¦ it creates one and inflates it
using its terrible media to persuade its people's conscience that the
war it has declared is necessary [and] for a just cause. It is known
that the struggle against Communism served as a pretext for
starting wars in more than 40 countries across the world¦ These
wars have cost the lives of tens of millions and made hundreds of
millions live in backwardness, struggle, poverty, and the
humiliation familiar to the entire world¦"
Bin Laden, America, and the Saudi People
Sheikh Al-'Awaji: "In the past, when he was fighting the
Russians in Afghanistan, bin Laden was the greatest of Jihad
warriors, in the eyes of the Saudi people and in the eyes of the
Saudi government. He and the others went to Afghanistan with
official [Saudi] support, and the support of the clerics. Now, the
Saudi people have three complaints to bin Laden."
"First, bin Laden accuses clerics and rulers of heresy, when he has
no proof of this. Second, he is making the Muslim countries an
arena for Jihad operations. Third, he and those with him target
innocent people, and I refer to the innocents on the face of the
entire earth, of every religion and color, and in every region."
"Besides these three things, bin Laden is perceived to be a man of
honor, a man who abstains [from the pleasures] of this world, a
brave man, and a man who believes in his principles and makes
sacrifices [for them]¦"
"What the Saudis like best about bin Laden is his asceticism.
When the Saudi compares bin Laden to any child of wealthy
parents, he sees that bin Laden left behind the pleasures of the
hotels for the foxholes of Jihad, while others compete amongst
themselves for the wealth and palaces of this world."
"... [I]f all the world repressed by America likes bin Laden, is the
Islamic nation not entitled to love one of its sons as a human
being? However, the truth must be told: the Saudi people love
every Jihad warrior, every fighter, and every man of honor,
whether in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir, or southern
Sudan¦"
"The Saudi people loved Khattab [the leader of the Islamic
struggle in Chechnya, of Saudi origin]. The government even
permitted the people to express condolences in the media [when
he was killed by Russian forces]. The reason for this “ and this is
an important point that the brothers in the Jihad organizations
should note “ is that Khattab, whose real name was Samer
Suweilim, refrained from entering into disagreements [with
brother Arabs/Muslims], and refrained from accusing [Arab and
Muslim leaders] of heresy. It was unheard of for him to target
anyone in Saudi Arabia or another Islamic land. Thus, the people
are disregarding America's statements about them. The terror
against America that they [Americans] talk about does not interest
us at all ¦"
Jihad is Our Strategic Weapon Against the U.S.
"We are proud that they define us as someone who strikes terror
into the heart of the enemies of Allah and our enemies [a
paraphrase of a Koranic verse], but not according to the definition
they [the Americans] want. America wants us to define terror
according to its criteria. The American definition of terror is that
anyone who resists America's colonialist and religious interests is
a terrorist¦"
"The Saudis maintain that the Arabian peninsula is the resting
place of the lions from which the leaders emerged. Those who
confront America in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Kashmir are the
cubs of those lions. [The Saudis] who lead the Jihad in the world
left without asking the permission of the rulers or the world. They
broke through the barriers to leave. They run in pursuit of death,
while George Bush and his administration fled the White House,
at a certain point, when they were targeted."
"The Saudis believe that the glory of the [Islamic] nation appeared
when our Prophet taught us the industry of death “ when he taught
us how to create death. Then life became cheap in our eyes¦
When one of the sons of our nation is killed, he says: 'I won,' and
the master of the Ka'aba swears that he had won. This we see as
the industry of death. We in Saudi society and in other Islamic
societies have finally realized that this is the right path to tread in
order to deal with today's deadly strategic weapons. If America
has intercontinental missiles and bombs, then our bombs are the
Jihad fighters, whom America has called 'suicide attackers' and
we call 'martyrs.' We will develop them because we see them as a
strategic weapon¦"
Millions of Muslims Look at Bin Laden as a Savior
Dr. Muhammad Al-Khasif: "¦There are dozens, even millions,
who lift up their eyes to Osama bin Laden as a savior. If Che
Guevara was a model for the fighters in the world, and a beautiful
symbol of the struggle against American imperialism in South
America, then Osama bin Laden is the same symbol for the
Muslims¦ Some Koreans and Filipinos have named their sons
Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden is just an ordinary Saudi citizen who
gave up his tremendous wealth for his principles. He has
principles and deeds with which I disagree. I agree with my
brother and friend Dr. Mohsin about the three issues that he
mentioned: heresy, bringing the battle into Saudi Arabia, mostly,
but also to the rest of the Islamic world, and harming innocents.
However, if bin Laden and his men are fighting America in other
arenas, we will have no problem with what he does¦ Even
[regarding] the events of September 11, it was not conclusively
proven that Osama bin Laden and Al-Qa'ida were involved¦"
Sheikh Al-Hawali: "[The U.S. arms manufacturers] exploited the
events of September 11¦ The generals of destruction and
annihilation snatched the initiative from the great global usurers,
and Bush, who entered the White House limping “ and who
apparently will never seek to enter it again “ declared a long-term
and extensive war against a dimensionless and borderless enemy “
that is, against the artificial illusion of so-called 'terrorism'¦"
"As everyone knows, many commentators and intellectuals within
and without America were dumbfounded by the weakness of the
American excuses, by the violation of values and standards, and
by the unending contradictions [in American policies]. But one
group of observers was not surprised “ the group of Islamic
observers who monitor the state of the world and its changes
through the prism of the Koran. This group did not need to wait
for Bush to declare that it is a Crusader war, and that Sharon is a
man of peace, because it already says in the Koran: 'Their hatred
has been expressed in words, and that which they design is even
more virulent.'[2] Fourteen centuries ago Allah exposed [what]
they design, warned us against supporting them, and called on us
to call to them [to join the religion of] Allah, and to wage
Jihad¦"
The Future of Saudi-U.S. Relations
Sheikh Al-Hawili: "America and its supporters must know that if
it extends its hand to attack the land of the two holy places [Saudi
Arabia], it will have no protection from the cruelty of God and the
vengeance of the soldiers of Allah, the mujahiddeen. It will have
no protection, even if it digs a hole in the earth or seeks refuge in
space. Holes in the ground in which to hide every time a plane
deviates from its course will not help those who put forth this kind
of proposal ¦"
"We demand that America apologize to our nation and promise
that statements of this kind [about nuking Mecca] will never be
repeated by anyone, whether in the administration, in Congress, or
in the media. We leave the options open before them. If they
choose the path of truth and justice, they will find no one more
just than we. But if they choose oppression and aggression, they
will find no one who loves martyrdom more than we [do], and no
one more willing to die “ as this is the hope of every man in this
land. While the American young people, including Clinton, evade
military service, our young people meticulously do this service¦"
Dr. Muhammad Al-Khasif: "Since September 11, America has
been interfering in our sovereign affairs in our land “ something
we do not agree to in any way, shape or form¦ I recall how Dr.
Umayma Al-Jalahama[3] was dismissed from the Al-Riyadh
newspaper because of America's interference, following an article
she wrote on the Jews in a matter for which there is solid proof in
Western literature [i.e. the blood libel]."
Our Struggle Against America
"The impudence of the American administration led it to talk of
partitioning Saudi Arabia¦ We will fight to the last of our
children against the American partition plans. America must
realize that we are not like the other countries upon which it
imposes its policy."
"It is America that created its enemies. I am one of those who
studied in America and I am grateful to the American educational
institutions. I had many friends, and my time in America was a
good time in my life. However, today I hate America and its
policy. I see it interfering in the sovereignty of my country. I see it
dictating to me, I see it killing children in Afghanistan and
Palestine with the support of the Jews, and killing children in Iraq
with the oppressive siege. From this platform I send a message to
the American administration: We will not be silent on the
partition plans and we will not agree to additional interference.
We will struggle against America and we will call on the
mujahiddeen to fight America everywhere in the world¦"
[1] Al-Jazeera television (Qatar), July 10, 2002.
[2] Koran, 3:118.
[3]See MEMRI Special Dispatches:
No. 354 - Saudi Government Daily: Jews Use Teenagers'
Blood for 'Purim' Pastries
No. 357 - Editor of Saudi Government Daily Al-Riyadh:
Statement on 'Purim' Blood Libel Articles
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