Arab World Sermons: O Lord, deal with the enemies of Islam including
Zionists and Americans

FBIS Report - Friday sermons carried by the news media on 18 April 2003:
[With thanks to www.mideastweb.org/mewnews1.htm ]

SAUDI ARABIA:

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television station of
the Saudi Government, carries at 0930 GMT a live sermon from the holy mosque
in Mecca.

Shaykh Salih Muhammad Al Talib delivers the sermon, in which he refers to
the current "predicament" of the Islamic nation, saying it is not the worst,
as the nation has been through ups and downs throughout its history. He
recalls the fall of Baghdad, capital of the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate, in
1258 A.D. under the Mongul ruler Hulegu, grandson of Genghis Khan. But, the
Mongul invaders, he notes, eventually became Muslim rulers, fought under the
flag of Islam, and led its conquests. The imam recalls that the Crusaders
also invaded Muslim lands in Greater Syria and Jerusalem, but they were then
driven back to the walls of Vienna.

The imam says that the current predicament "must not be a cause for despair
and frustration." He urges Muslims to place their trust in God and His
"promised victory," which calls for worshipping God and avoiding sins, he
says.

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He says modern
civilization has proven that it is devoid of religious faith and humanness,
"hence the handling of the Palestine question and the war on Iraq and all
Muslim causes." "This is a chance," he affirms, "for Muslims to ponder their
situation, know their real enemy, and show their trust in Islam, the truth
of Islam, and the justice of its causes." He calls for patience and
repudiation of sedition and divisions to insure the safety and security of
their lands.

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and Muslims, humble
infidelity and infidels, destroy the enemies of Islam, protect Islamic
religion, and make this and other Muslim countries safe and secure. He
prays: "O Lord, whoever wishes Islam, Muslims, and their countries evil,
busy him with himself, turn his plot against him, and make his plans end up
in his destruction." He also prays: "O Lord, support the mujahidin for your
sake everywhere and bring relief to Muslims on every land and under every
sky. O Lord, support the oppressed Muslims in Palestine, Iraq, and all
countries. O Lord, bring relief to the Muslims in Iraq. O Lord, make them
safe in their homes, insure their livelihood, and fill their hearts with
faith."

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV2 in Arabic, official television station of
the Saudi Government, carries at 0930 GMT a live sermon from the holy mosque
in Medina.

Shaykh Husayn Al al-Shaykh delivers the sermon, in which he says that the
world is at a serious turning point, where there is "lack of wisdom,"
"confusion of relations," and "ignorance of religious teachings." It is a
world, he adds, where "material interests" are the motivation and the means
that justify the aim; a world, where the "principle of power, might, and
tyranny" prevails over the principle of peace, mercy, and righteousness; a
world where "evils and wars are embellished by deceptive terms and rights
are violated by alleged claims."

The imam then refers to the "tragic situation" in "the beloved land of
Al-Rafidayn [Iraq] and the beloved city of peace, Baghdad." He says that
innocent Muslim civilians are suffering for no reason, pure blood is being
spilled, lives are being exterminated unjustly, and immense resources are
being wasted.

The imam also refers to Iraq's glorious history as the center of learning
and burial place of great Islamic saints, and scholars. He says: "Regardless
of the injustice by the aggressors and people's sufferings from coercion by
criminals, a city with such nobility and history can only live peacefully
under Islam, prosper only through religion and faith, and remain stable and
secure only under the Koran and the Sunnah. It is the duty of the people of
Baghdad and all of Iraq to ponder their current situation, past history, and
heritage. They must remember that the current situation can only be
rectified as their predecessors have done, which is to hold to God, adhere
to the Sunnah, and rule themselves according to the Koran."

The imam makes this appeal: "O people of beloved Iraq, remember that yours
is a Muslim country and your homes are abodes of faith. Unite under Islam
and do not split up. Your security depends on your unity and your happiness
on your adherence to glorious Islam. Declare it to the enemies and make it
clear to the agents. The recent past is a sufficient lesson. A believer
should not make the same mistake twice."

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He says that it
is the duty of the Muslim society to return to the voice of religion,
protect the people and the country, work for peace and reconciliation, and
unite under the flag of Islam so that they will have an imam and leader in
charge of their affairs.

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and Muslims and
deal with their enemies, "including the rancorous Zionists." He prays: "O
Lord, disperse their assemblies. O Lord, show us the miracles of Your power
on them. O Lord, deal with them for they are within Your power. O Lord, make
their plans destroy them." He also prays: "O Lord, support and protect the
mujahidin on every land. O Lord, support jihad for your sake everywhere. O
Lord, have mercy on oppressed and persecuted Muslims everywhere. O Lord,
bring relief to our Muslim brothers in Iraq. O Lord, unite them under the
Koran and the Sunnah. O Lord, protect the Muslims in Palestine. O Lord,
support them against the rancorous Zionists. O Lord, strengthen their hearts
and shake the land under the feet of their enemies." He also prays to God to
support the king and all Muslim rulers for the wellbeing of their countries
and peoples.

YEMEN:

Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, official television station of
the Republic of Yemen, carries at 0910 GMT a live sermon from the Grand
Mosque in Sanaa.

Shaykh Akram Abdal-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivers the sermon, which he devotes
to the lesson of "sincerity and devotion," saying what the nation lacks
today is sincerity and devotion to God, worship, faith, and duty. He says
the government official must carry out his duty sincerely and not accept
bribes, and the soldier must perform his duty in the service of his country
and the maintenance of peace and order without any failure.

Turning to current events, the imam says: "Muslim blood has been spilled in
Iraq and Palestine and preparations are now underway for Syria. Blood is
still flowing. Arab land in Palestine and Iraq is occupied. No matter how
they tried giving it a democratic character, occupation cannot have another
face. How can they invade a people's country and change its regime with
weapons and planes? They are now preparing the country for military rule.
They say that it will be for a short time. But, only God knows how long this
will take. Where is the sincerity and devotion to God? O Muslim nation, fear
God and remain sincere to God in words and deeds."

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He calls for
sincerity and devotion by the ruler and ruled. "Muslim rulers," he says,
"must be sincere to their people by quickly removing oppression on them,
stopping aggression and occupation against them, and doing their best to
raise the flag of Islam."

The imam concludes with a prayer to God "to relieve our brothers in
Palestine and Iraq from their tribulation" and support them against their
enemies. He prays: "O Lord, deal with the enemies of Islam including
Zionists and Americans. O Lord, shake the land under their feet, instill
fear in their hearts, and freeze the blood in their veins." He also prays
for the unity of Muslim rulers and their success for the wellbeing of their
countries and peoples.

SYRIA:

Damascus Syrian Arab Republic radio in Arabic, official station of the
Syrian Government, carries at 0955 GMT a live sermon from Al-Zahra Mosque in
Damascus.

Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Habash, member of the People's Assembly, delivers the
sermon, which he begins by saying that infidels are challenging Muslims and
says: "You have God, O people of Iraq, you have God, O patient nation, you
have God, O people of Palestine in these dark days."

The imam draws an analogy between the current invasion of Iraq and that of
the Monguls in the 13th Century. Despite their military power, he says, the
Mongols embraced Islam and became its rulers and conquerors. He also alludes
to "treason" behind the fall of Baghdad.

The imam affirms that it is not the end of the world, but rather the
beginning of jihad and says: "Jihad began today, O brothers. But, as we said
more than once and a thousand times, jihad has a thousand methods and doors.
We are fighting with the great jihad, that of reason and proof."

The imam says: "Our hearts are bleeding and our eyes are full of tears as we
see what is happening to beloved Iraq and the patient land of Palestine. The
dark hours we are witnessing are due to our divisions and separation from
God. This is the hour of truth." He adds: "I am not standing here on this
pulpit for self-flagellation, but to announce a new jihad, the jihad of
science and knowledge, the jihad of work and giving, and the jihad of
culture and advancement. When you go to your university you are in jihad.
When you go to your hospital as a nurse or doctor you are in jihad. When you
go to your scientific center you are in jihad for the coming days. Our
enemies defeated us this time by their scientific assets. We have to release
our cultural energies and resurrect our past glories so that we can again
become masters of the world, protecting ourselves, and our past, present,
and future."

The imam says: "Here are the events moving rapidly. We in Syria only stood
as dictated by our conscience and religion. We had nothing to do with the
defunct [Iraqi] regime. All people knew that. We had nothing to do with that
regime for 25 years. We stood against it when it invaded Iran, a Muslim
country. We also stood against it when it invaded Kuwait, which is a Muslim
country. But, we stood with full pride and honor by this poor, patient
people, when the new Mongol invaders came to seize their resources,
sanctity, and country. We stood by this poor people with full honor. Our
youths, who went to the aid of the Iraqi people were noble and chivalrous.
You could see real manhood in your faces. We are proud of them. What befell
them for the sake of God, was the jihad, which they sought for the sake of
God's reward. The mercenaries were those who were gathered by the Marines
from all parts of the world. They came from the seven seas in order to
secure US citizenship and money."

The imam continues: "We do not regret anything. What we faced was for the
sake of God. We have full hope in this young president who said what exists
in the conscience of every Muslim. His words in Arab summits were the words
of an angry, inflamed Muslim public. We do not regret anything." He adds:
"Brothers, you are on this land today. You know about the arrows and signals
that are being directed at our country from east and west. This is the land
of jihad, steadfastness, and firmness. We are not after confrontation with
anyone."

The imam devotes the second sermon to a general prayer to God for mercy,
salvation, and victory for Muslims. He prays: "O Lord, bring relief to
Muslims in Iraq. O Lord, bring relief to Muslims in Palestine." He also
prays: "O Lord, make our President Bashar al-Asad successful in what pleases
You. O Lord, give him support and victory. O Lord, we are Your witnesses on
earth that he uttered what was right. O Lord, we are Your witnesses on earth
that he persevered for the protection of Muslim lands. O Lord, make it the
course of all the leaders of this nation."

IRAQ:

Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television in Arabic, official television station
of the Iraqi Government was off the air.

QATAR:

Doha Qatar Television Service in Arabic, official television station of the
State of Qatar, carries at 0840 GMT a live sermon from Umar Bin-al-Khattab
mosque in Doha.

Shaykh Madi Muhammad Azab delivers the sermon, in which he alludes to the
disasters afflicting the Islamic nation and says that return to the Koran
and the Sunnah is the only path to salvation. He says that Muslims must not
despair and that 'Infidels" may have the military might but oppression will
not continue forever. He refers to previous empires that vanished through
God's punishment.

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He calls on
worshippers to pray for the triumph of Islam.

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and Muslims, humble
infidelity and infidels, and deal with the enemies of Islam.