Friday Sermons Denounce US 'Designs' Against Iraq, Israeli Practices 7 Feb
2003
[With thanks to www.mideastweb.org/mewnews1.htm ]

GMP20030208000060 Middle East -- FBIS Report in Arabic 07 Feb 03 [FBIS
Report] Following is a roundup of Friday sermons carried by the news media
of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq,
and Qatar on 7 February 2003:

SAUDI ARABIA:

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television station of
the Saudi Government, at 0945 GMT carries a 22-minute live sermon from the
holy mosque in Mecca.

Shaykh Sa'ud Bin-Ibrahim al-Shuraym delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions, advising people to worship and obey God and
stressing the importance of pilgrimage as a religious duty. He urges
pilgrims not to bother one another or mill about during pilgrimage
ceremonies. He also calls on Muslims to stick to their faith in Islam "as a
fatal weapon in the face of the enemies of the nation and the stealers of
land," saying that a faithful fighter "can win either the battle or
martyrdom for the sake of God." The imam devotes his sermon to pilgrimage
affairs and Islamic values.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims,
humiliate infidelity and infidels, destroy the enemies of Islam, and protect
this country, as well as the countries of Muslims."

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabic TV2 in Arabic, official television station of
the Saudi Government, at 0950 GMT carries a 32-minute live sermon from the
holy mosque in Medina.

Shaykh Husayn Al al-Shaykh delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions, calling on the faithful to obey God and to
stick to the Islamic values, including pilgrimage, as a way to honor and
glory. The Islamic nation, he says, should run its affairs based on the
Islamic values, especially since it is facing "numerous evils." The imam
devotes most of his sermon to pilgrimage affairs.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims and
humiliate infidelity and infidels. O God, destroy those seeking to harm
Muslims. O God, relieve Muslims everywhere of their suffering. O God, give
support to mujahidin fighting for your sake. O God, relieve our brothers in
Palestine of their plight."

YEMEN:

Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, official television station of
the Republic of Yemen, at 0929 GMT carries a 36-minute live sermon from the
Grand Mosque in Sanaa.

Shaykh Akram Abd-al-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivers the sermon. He praises God,
the messenger, and his companions, calling on Muslims to worship and obey
God as a way to success in this life and in the Hereafter and to avoid the
forbidden, such as killing, bribery, and adultery. Islam, he says, preserves
humanity's dignity and rights, stressing that justice and freedom spread
under Islam.

Turning to politics, the imam condemns the Israeli "occupation for usurping
Palestinian rights and destroying Palestinian homes and lands."
Preparations, he says, are also under way "to occupy Iraq," although they
[enemies] boast about their human rights organizations, "which only target
Arab and Islamic countries." He devotes most of his sermon to pilgrimage
affairs.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, give your support to Islam and
Muslims and relieve our weak brothers in Palestine and Iraq of their
ordeal." He goes on: "O God, give support to those supporting Islam and
disappoint those disappointing Muslims. O God, promote justice and
disappoint infidels and unbelievers. O God, give support to mujahidin in
Palestine and Iraq, encourage them, and help them score victory over their
enemies. O God, close the ranks of Muslims so that they can stand in the
face of the unjust Americans and the Zionist usurpers. O God destroy the
enemies of Islam, shake the ground under them, and instill fear into their
hearts."

JORDAN:

Amman Jordan Television Channel 1 in Arabic, official television station of
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, at 1000 GMT carries a 25-minute live sermon
from martyr King Abdallah mosque in Amman.

Shaykh Abd-al-Nasir Abu-al-Basal delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions, urging Muslims to follow God's orders and to
avoid the forbidden. The imam devotes his sermon to pilgrimage affairs and
to the need for Muslims to comply with the values of Islam.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, give support to Muslims. O God,
destroy your enemies, as well as those of Muslims, for they are within your
power. O God, give success to the country's monarch."

WEST BANK & GAZA STRIP

Gaza Palestine Satellite Channel Television in Arabic, official television
station of the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza Voice of Palestine in
Arabic -- Second Program -- official radio station of the Palestinian
Authority broadcasting from Gaza -- at 0950 GMT carry a 33-minute live
sermon from Shaykh Ijlin mosque in Gaza.

Shaykh Ibrahim al-Mudayris delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions, calling on Muslims to obey God and to follow
his orders and stressing the importance of pilgrimage as a religious duty
and a way to paradise, citing relevant Koranic verses.

Turning to the Palestinian situation and the Palestinian people's plight,
the imam says that God defends the faithful, who are expelled from their
homes, citing relevant Koraic verses. Palestinians, he says, have been
expelled from their homes because of their belief in God and "their
readiness to offer their souls for the sake of God, the sanctities, and the
Holy Land." The imam says: "While stepping up their atrocities and terrorism
against us, the enemies accuse us of terrorism. They fight us with their
bullets, their tanks, and their planes. We will remain patient, God willing,
because our people believe in God and are sure he will defend them.
Otherwise, we would not have remained patient all these years in the face of
this tyrannical military machine, the strongest force in the world. It is
not the fourth power in the world, as has been said. It is the strongest
power in the world because the United States, the unjust country, is blindly
biased toward our enemies. O Palestinians, o Muslims, we swear that nobody
will enjoy safety in the world unless injustice to the Palestinian people is
lifted." The imam reminds Muslims that God has asked them "to defend Al-Aqsa
Mosque and this land." He also says: "After this reckless US president
declared his loyalty to the Jews and planned to get rid of our president,
our people, and our cause, his country lost both security and safety." The
imam scoffs at the US president for asking the Palestinians to introduce
reforms at a time when his country is overwhelmed by corruption, stressing
that reform is a Palestinian requirement.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, help us score victory over our
enemies. O God, accept our martyrs, forgive them, and have mercy on them."
He goes on: "O God, help us score victory over our enemies. O God, extend a
helping hand to our people and our leadership. O God, lift the siege on our
people, our country, and our leadership."

Ramallah Voice of Palestine, official radio station of the Palestinian
Authority, at 1000 GMT carries a 25-minute live sermon from Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Shaykh Ikrimah Sabri delivers the sermon. He praises God the messenger and
his companions, calling on Muslims to obey God and to help one another. He
elaborates on pilgrimage and Islamic values.

Turning to politics, the imam says that the US secretary of state announced
two days ago that war would break out within days. The irony, he says, is
that some Arab countries have asked the United States "to put off the war
until after Id Al-Adha." He says: "This implicitly shows that some Arab
rulers have approved the war in principle and are protesting just the
timing. While Muslims slaughter sheep in Id Al-Adha, the United States will
slay Muslims in Iraq in order to carry out its aggressive, criminal,
terrorist, and inhuman designs." Stressing opposition to such a war, the
imam urges the Islamic nation, both the rulers and the ruled, to close their
ranks and to block the planned destruction of that country and its people.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, deter the aggressors and
conspirators. O God, destroy them all. O God, protect Iraq and its people. O
God, give us safety in our homeland and relieve us of our plight."

SYRIA:

Damascus Syrian Arab Republic Radio in Arabic, official station of the
Syrian Government, at 1010 GMT carries a 43-minute live sermon from
Abd-al-Ghani al-Nabulsi mosque in Damascus.

Shaykh Muhammad Ratib al-Nabulsi delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions, urging Muslims to obey God. He devotes most
of his sermon to pilgrimage affairs.

Turning to politics, the imam urges Muslims all over the world to cooperate
as one entity. This is what President Bashar al-Asad has repeatedly
stressed. Quoting the president, the imam says the forces of hegemony and
tyranny in the world have created a new enemy in order to maintain the state
of tension and "to justify their hegemony over many countries and parts of
the world." The imam also says: "The president spoke about this new enemy at
some Islamic summit conferences, wondering who this new enemy was. The new
enemy, which emerged during the nineties, the president said, was our true
Islamic religion, the religion of morals, justice, and love. Media and
educational circles have portrayed Islam as a religion of killing,
extremism, and terrorism. Whenever a trouble takes place in any part of the
world, an accusing finger is pointed to Islam. Any act of sabotage or
terrorism is attributed to Muslims until the reverse is proved. It is often
proved, but the accusation remains in place. Extremism is being fed to fight
Islam and Muslims and to distort their mage. Israel is the most skilled at
distorting this image and any other real image."

IRAQ:

Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television in Arabic, official television station
of the Iraqi Government, at 0937 GMT carries a 15-minute live sermon from
Abd-al-Qadir al-Jaylani Mosque in Baghdad.

Shaykh Subhi al-Hiti delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and
his companions, urging Muslims to obey and fear God, to fight those fighting
them, to cooperate with one another, to help one another, and to renounce
differences and sectarianism, for Muslims are one nation having one God, one
prophet, one Koran, and one Qibla. If we obey God, he says, he will help us
"score victory over the enemy." Muslims are brothers, and non-Muslims are
also brothers of Muslims and share the same rights with them in terms of
citizenship. Therefore, he says, Iraq is one family "and will strike its
enemy if necessary," urging Muslims to love one another and to spread peace
among themselves. The imam then asks God "to protect Iraq from dangers," and
to enable Iraqi President Saddam Husayn to take pride in Islam and "to score
victory over the enemies of Islam." He devotes his sermon to the need for
Muslims to close their ranks.

QATAR:

Doha Qatar Television Service in Arabic, official television station of the
State of Qatar, at 0858 GMT carries a 35-minute live sermon from Umar
Bin-al-Khattab Mosque in Doha.

An unidentified shaykh delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger,
and his companions, calling on people to obey God and his messenger as a way
to success. He asks Muslims to worship God and "to do whatever they can to
protect our Palestinian brothers and our Muslim brothers everywhere and to
avert war against our brothers in Iraq." He devotes his sermon to the need
for Muslims to stick to Islamic values.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, support our mujahidin brothers in
Palestine and protect our Muslim brothers everywhere. O God, help those
serving Islam and Muslims and punish those seeking to harm Islam and
Muslims."