"O God, destroy Jews, Americans, and Britons" 21 Feb '03 Friday Sermon

Friday Sermons Condemn Israeli 'Aggression,' US War Preparations
21 Feb GMP20030222000089 Middle East --
FBIS Report in Arabic 21 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 21 February 2003:

SAUDI ARABIA:

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television station of
the Saudi Government, at 0940 GMT carries a 25-minute live sermon from the
holy mosque in Mecca.

Shaykh Salih Bin-Humayd delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger,
and his companions and urges pilgrims to continue to worship and obey God.
Denouncing the current anti-Islam campaign, the imam says: "A feverish,
unfair, and sinful campaign is now targeting Islam and Prophet Muhammad,
God's prayer and peace be upon him. From the holy mosque in Mecca, one of
the holiest shrines in the world, we call on wise people all over the world
to renounce this hateful bigotry and terrorism, which only increase grudge,
provoke world nations, and lead to disasters. Targeting Islam and its
prophet will only reinforce Islam and Muslims." Despite the vilification
campaign against Islam and its prophet, the imam says, "more and more people
enter Islam," adding that Islam recognizes and respects all prophets and
messengers, citing relevant Koranic verses. The story of Muhammad's life,
the imam says, is clear and available for everybody who wants to know the
reality, adding that Muslims "will never tolerate any attempt to harm our
religion." Those trying to distort the image of our Prophet Muhammad, he
says, "will anger Muslims all over the world," stressing that "the Islamic
nation condemns such accusations, shameful attacks, and sinful lies against
Islam and Prophet Muhammad." The imam then asks for an apology for the
recent insulting remarks against Islam and prophet Muhammad and urges
Muslims to do their best "to refute these lies, to stop these feverish
campaigns, and to expose Jewish and Christian extremists supporting usurper
Israel and standing behind this unjust campaign."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims,
humiliate infidelity and infidels, protect Islam, support your faithful
servants, and disappoint tyrants, atheists, and the enemies of Islam." He
also asks God to support the leader and to close the ranks of Muslims. He
goes on: "O God, support mujahidin fighting for your sake and your religion.
O God, enable the Palestinian mujahidin to close their ranks and to score
victory over your enemies. O God, Zionist Jews are spreading tyranny and
corruption, killing and displacing people, and destroying property. O God,
destroy them, for they are within your power."

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV2 in Arabic, official television station of
the Saudi Government, at 0940 GMT carries a 24-minute live sermon from the
holy mosque in Medina.

Shaykh Ali al-Hudhayfi delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger,
and his companions and urges Muslims to worship and obey God, to avoid the
forbidden, to thank God for his graces, to ask God to protect Islam and
Muslims everywhere, and to disappoint Islam's enemies. The imam devotes
almost all his sermon to the need to invoke God as a basic form of worship.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims,
humiliate infidelity and infidels. O God, destroy your enemies, who like
what you hate, for you are capable of everything. O God, close the ranks of
Muslims, guide them to the path of peace, and help them score victory over
your enemy and their enemy."

YEMEN:

Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, official television station of
the Republic of Yemen, at 0925 GMT carries a 30-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, urging Muslims to obey God as a way to
paradise, thanking God for revealing Islam, and stressing that Muslims are
brothers under Islam. He also says that a Muslim should protect his Muslim
brother, reminding Muslims that their brothers in Palestine and Iraq "are
suffering from aggression by the forces of arrogance and hegemony, which are
dreaming of ruling the world, taking control of its revenues, and imposing
their ambitions on the world." The imam denounces these forces for
"committing aggression against Jerusalem," carrying out "brutal massacres,"
and besieging Iraq "by tens of fleets and hundreds of warplanes and fatal
weapons, which are used only against Arab and Islamic peoples." He assails
the Arab leaders for canceling "the scheduled emergency summit so as not to
anger the United States." He also criticizes the ordinary Arab summit for
diverging from its original venue, at a time when non-Muslims and non-Arab
countries raise their voice and defend their interests." Iraq's brothers, he
says, "have disappointed the Iraqi people," attributing Muslims' weakness
"to their abandonment of the Koran and the messenger's Sunna [Prophet
Muhammad's traditions and sayings]," and stressing that Muslims "will face
even more serious situations as long as they keep away from their religion."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, help our mujahidin brothers in
Palestine and Iraq score victory over their enemies. O God, destroy the
unjust sons of Zion and the arrogant Americans. O God, shake the ground
under them, instill panic into their hearts, and disperse them. O God,
destroy them, for they are within your power." He also asks God to support
the Yemeni president.

JORDAN:

Amman Jordan Television Channel 1 in Arabic, official television station of
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, at 0956 GMT carries a 19-minute live sermon
from martyr King Abdallah mosque in Amman.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Qudah delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger,
and his companions, calls on Muslims to obey God, and congratulates Muslims,
who performed pilgrimage this year. The imam devotes his sermon to the
importance of modesty and puberty.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims. O
God, return us to your religion. O God, forgive the faithful Muslims. O God,
close the ranks of Arabs, Muslims, and their leaders and help them score
victory. O God, spare this nation aggression. O God, help the mujahidin of
Muhammad's nation score victory."

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 1000 GMT carry a 31-minute live
sermon from Shaykh Ijlin mosque in Gaza.

Shaykh Ibrahim al-Mudayris delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions. Condemning the Israeli practices, the imam
says that Jews "are escalating their unjust practices against our people,
our land, and our sanctities and are committing the ugliest forms of
massacres." Jews, he says, "are killing people, destroying property, and
carrying out assassination operations in the West Bank and have come to Gaza
to commit new massacres amid international, Arab, and Islamic silence." The
US Administration, he says, is helping the Jews "commit these massacres,"
describing the United States as "the primary enemy of the people of
Palestine and the Arab and Islamic nation." He says that the United States
is planning "to guarantee the State of Israel's security and to control the
Arabian Gulf's oil in violation of international legitimacy." He says: "The
United States fights this nation to ensure the State of Israel's security.
It has given this state a green light to guarantee its security the way it
likes. It also uses Sharon as a weapon against the Middle East in general
and Palestine in particular and also resorts to its veto right to cover up
this state's crimes." The imam also accuses the United States of planning to
"control Iraq's oil" by fabricating lies and excuses "to go to war with
Iraq" at a time when Washington and Tel Aviv "violate the resolutions of
international legitimacy." The imam then stresses the importance of the role
of Islamic ulema in guiding the steps of the Arab leaders.

In the second part of the sermon, the imam regrets the weakness of the
Islamic nation, saying that people attribute this weakness to "rulers'
corruption, injustice, and tyranny." He also urges the ulema to shoulder
their responsibility and to play their role in guiding the society and the
Arab and Islamic leaders "through jihad against God's enemies."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, lift the siege on us and the
Palestinian prisoners. O God, lift the siege on our leadership, our people,
and our nation. O God, help our kinfolk in Iraq. O God, help the children of
Iraq. O God, protect the lives of our kinfolk in Iraq."

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

Shaykh Ikrimah Sabri delivers the sermon. He begins by praising God, the
messenger, and his companions. He urges Muslims to resort to Islam to solve
any problem and criticizes those claiming that Islam is no longer good for
life. He calls on Islamic movements, groups, parties, and institutions to
join forces "to confront the alien, destructive ideas harming our
societies."

Turning to the Palestine question and the Iraqi issue, the imam says: "What
the Israeli occupation Army is doing to our steadfast kinfolk amounts to a
war of annihilation against people, trees, and even stones. Massacres in
Palestinian cities, villages, and camps continue on a daily basis under the
pretext of fighting terrorism. The occupation claims that what it is doing
is not terrorism but self-defense." The imam believes that occupation is the
reason behind the ongoing cycle of violence in the Palestinian arena and
that the aim of killing and destruction is "to impose surrender," stressing
that the Palestinian people reject surrender. He also says that the region
will not enjoy calmness "unless Israeli occupation comes to an end,"
criticizing Arab and Islamic countries for "their silence over what is
happening to the Palestinian people."

Regarding the Iraqi issue, the imam says that the more the United States
escalates the situation against Iraq, the more the popular masses get angry,
hailing the world-wide anti-war demonstrations, which, he says, will weaken
the US position. He urges the Arab and Islamic countries "to make use of
this anti-war position on both the official and popular levels," stressing
the need for the Arab and Islamic leaders to declare their rejection of war.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, protect Iraq and its People. O
God protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from any harm." He goes on: "O God, support Islam
and Muslims, elevate justice, and forgive the faithful."

SYRIA:

Damascus Syrian Arab Republic Radio in Arabic, official station of the
Syrian Government, at 1005 GMT carries a 24-minte live sermon from Bu'ayrah
mosque in Damascus.

Shaykh Yunus Jasim delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and
his companions, thanking God "for strengthening us by Islam" and stressing
that God has promised defenders of the land, honor, and the sanctities with
paradise and forgiveness. He urges Muslims to cooperate and to stick to the
rules of Islam as a religious duty in the face of "the current serious
events." He also urges Arabs and Muslims to cooperate and act as one entity
in the face of the dangers and to defend the nation's soil, including
Palestine. The imam says: "The criminal Zionist invaders destroy property
and sanctities; kill children, men, and women; undermine the bases of social
and economic life; obliterate the characteristics of Arab and Islamic life;
distort Arab and Islamic reputation; accuse them of backwardness; and brand
them with terrorism." They [enemies], he says, have concocted conspiracies
for decades and even centuries, denouncing "current plots against our
brothers in fraternal Iraq, where fleets are being massed, guns and missiles
are being prepared, and the latest techniques of killing, destruction, and
terrorism are being used under false pretexts and baseless accusations."
Condemning Israel's practices, the imam says that colonialism "is back to
enable the Zionist entity, which has been planted in our homeland, to
fragment the Arab countries in order to guarantee its survival and to expand
its borders from the Euphrates to the Nile." The imam then urges Arabs and
Muslims to wake up and to do their duty toward the Palestinians and Iraqi
peoples. The imam then praises President Bashar al-Asad's support for the
Palestine question and his efforts to enable Palestinians to regain their
rights and their sovereignty over their national soil. The president, he
says, also calls for opposing the planned war against Iraq and stresses that
Syria mobilizes its energy "to save our kinfolk in the occupied territory
and in Iraq from the upcoming painful US war, which will expose our region
to disasters and destruction."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, help our mujahidin brothers in
Palestine score victory. O God, have mercy on Palestinian and Muslim
martyrs. O God, stand by our Iraqi brothers in their ordeal." He also asks
God to give President Bashar al-Asad success.

IRAQ:

Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television in Arabic, official television station
of the Iraqi Government, at 0932 GMT carries a 44-minute live sermon from
Umm al-Ma'arik [Mother of Battles] mosque in Baghdad.

Shaykh Abd-al-Razzaq al-Sa'di delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions and calls on "the servants of God" to worship
and obey God. The imam devotes 13 minutes of his sermon to relate the story
of Prophet Muhammad's pilgrimage to Mecca, urging Arabs and Muslims to learn
a lesson from that event and to explore ways "to launch jihad against our
enemies in defense of our homeland, honor, Islam, and property." He warns
that "infidel Jews, Americans, and Britons" will not be able to escape God's
punishment. The practices of Jews in Palestine, he says, "are the beginning
of their end, God willing," stressing that "the faithful will smash and
humiliate US arrogance." He also says "we should not fear the enemy's
power," adding that everybody knows the panic the enemies suffer from inside
their houses. The US President's refusal to consider the worldwide anti-war
demonstrations, he says, "is the beginning of his downfall," calling on the
Iraqi people to remain patient. The imam then thanks Arabs, Muslims,
non-Muslims, and international organizations for their denunciation of "US
injustice," adding that opposing the US Administration "is considered the
highest level of Jihad."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, support Islam and Muslims,
elevate justice and Islam, support the faithful against infidels, and give
our country safety and prosperity. O God, help the Palestinian mujahidin
score victory. O God, help the Iraqi mujahidin score victory. O God, help
them score victory over your enemies and their enemy. O God, destroy Jews,
Americans, and Britons, for they are within your power. O God, weaken them,
down their planes, drown their ships, and shake the ground under them." He
also asks God to support President Saddam Husayn against the "unjust
people."

QATAR:

Doha Qatar Television Service in Arabic, official television station of the
State of Qatar, at 0855 GMT carries a 45-minute live sermon from Umar
Bin-al-Khattab Mosque in Doha.

Shaykh Muwafi Muhammad Azm delivers the sermon. He praises God, the
messenger, and his companions and calls on Muslims to worship and obey God
and to die as Muslims, stressing the need to stick to Islam as a way to good
life. He says "the Islamic nation is worthless because of our abandonment of
the rules of Islam," adding that the Islamic nation will restore its glory
only if it sticks to true Islam. He says that Muslims collected head tax on
free non-Muslims under Muslim rule, but that Muslims are now paying the same
tax to Jews and Christians just to please them. The imam advises Muslims to
apply Islam if they want to score victory over their enemies. He devotes his
sermon to the need to apply true Islam as a way to victory and success,
giving examples from the Islamic history to support his argument.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, support our mujahidin brothers. O
God, give them courage. O God, destroy your enemies, the enemies of Islam. O
God, do not let them raise their banner. O God, humiliate them everywhere."
He also asks God to give success to Arab leaders.