Saudi Sermon: Time for Christians and Jews to Convert to Islam
[FBIS (US Government service) Translated Excerpt]
[With thanks to www.mideastweb.org/mewnews1.htm ]

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television
station of the Saudi Government, carries on February 27, 2004 at 0945 GMT a
live sermon from the holy mosque in Mecca.

Shaykh Salih Bin-Muhammad Al Talib delivers the sermon, which he
devotes to the story of genesis and the heavenly messages brought by the
prophets, beginning with Adam and ending with Prophet Muhammad and the
message of Islam. All heavenly religions, he asserts, came with one
message -- worship of God.

"Therefore," the imam says, "is it not time the People of the Book
[Christians and Jews] pondered and acknowledged that Islam is a continuation
of the messages that came before it and that it is the religion that God has
chosen for the whole of mankind?" "From the time of Prophet Muhammad, may
the peace and blessings of God be upon him, until the Day of Judgment, God
will not accept any other religion or creed," the imam says and cites the
Koranic verse: "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it
be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those
who have lost."

Continuing, the imam says: "Have you not noticed that in the past 15
centuries history has not recorded that one single Muslim religious scholar
has entered Judaism or Christianity? On the other hand, history records with
letters of light the columns of rabbis and priests who have converted to
Islam and linked their messages with its final message, which God has chosen
for all mankind."

The imam makes this appeal: "Therefore, from the fountain of the
message, the site of its revelation, and the pulpit of the house [ka'bah],
which was built by Abraham and to which Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them,
made pilgrimage, I make a sincere appeal along with our Prophet Muhammad's
message to non-Muslims and say: Embrace Islam so as to be peaceful. Embrace
Islam so as to be peaceful. Embrace Islam so that God would reward you
twice. Otherwise, you, and those that follow you out of ignorance would have
to account for your sin. It is an appeal to accept the truth and study
Islam; the correct Islam that the prophet of guidance, Muhammad, may the
peace and blessings of God be upon him, has brought; Islam as it really is,
free of innovations and distortions; the Islam that is innocent of human
violations and the errors made by some of its followers." The imam then
reads this Koranic verse: "Say: "O People of the Book! Come to common terms
as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no
partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and
patrons other than Allah. If then they turn back, Say ye: Bear witness that
we (at least) are Muslims bowing to Allah's will)."

The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He says:
"What has caused misery to mankind in these times of confused ideas is when
some politicians hijacked religions and used them as a means to suppress
others and a tool to dominate the followers of other faiths. This is what
world Zionism did to Judaism. This is also what the so-called secular
governments did to Christianity. They coerced peoples and occupied states by
religious motives and claims of religiousness. And, although they deny these
motives in their statements, they come out in their slips of the tongue and
are unequivocally explained by their statements. The clerics in those
religions are called upon to clearly say that they do not approve the
behavior of their governments and that what is happening is not advocated by
their religions so that their followers who are used in these attacks, those
who think they are doing a good thing and getting closer God, would know
that they are mere tools in the hands of the politicians serving their
reckless whims, which are not curbed by religion or morals. These people's
[clerics] silence and shy statements would only lead to the conflict or
clash of civilizations. The racial segregation wall, which usurps Muslim
lands in Palestine, is one example."

The imam says: "O Muslims, and now a final word on the roots. It is the
duty of Muslims to strongly uphold their religion. The nation of Islam must
believe that it is the only one on the right path, that Islam is the last of
religions, that the Koran is the last of the Books and most importantly,
that Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, is
the last of the apostles, that the Islamic law [shari'a] is a copy of their
laws, and that God will not accept any other religion. Thus, it is
impermissible to concede any of that even if at the cost of our lives. We
say this at a time when some defeatists have weakened and called for mixing
distorted scriptures with Islamic religion under the claim of bringing
religions closer to one another. We say it also at a time when some people's
faith is so weak as to believe that everyone is correct. This began from the
statements uttered by some and the behavior and theses written by others. It
is as if they did not hear God's words: "If anyone desires a religion other
than Islam, never it will be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will
be in the ranks of those who have lost."

The imam says: "If we are to renew the religious discourse, we must go
back to the roots. This means going back to the Koran and the Sunnah. O God,
show us the truth and help us to follow it, and show us falsehood and help
us to avoid it. Please know ye, may God have mercy on you, that fasting on
the 10th day in the month of Muharram [the first month of the new Hegira
year, which began on 21 February 2004] atones for the sins of the two
previous years. Fast on that day and also on the day before or after it.
This is the tradition of your Prophet Muhammad, May the peace and blessings
of God be upon him. He fasted on this day to thank God for saving Moses and
his people and drowning the Pharaoh and his people. It is a strange paradox
that this happy occasion has been transformed by a Muslim faction into
continuous mourning and ceaseless wailing, in a picture that clearly shows
ignorance of religion and following misleading persons without a good
reason. O Ye, correct the path to God and follow the guidance of the
prophet."

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and Muslims,
defeat the tyrants, atheists, and corrupt. He also prays to God to keep this
and other Muslim countries safe and secure. He prays: "O God, spare us the
evils of sins, earthquakes, and seditions, both the open and secret. O God,
whoever wishes Islam and Muslims and their lands evil, busy him with
himself, turn his plot against him, and make his plans destroy him. O God,
support your religion, Book, the Sunnah of Your prophet, and your faithful
subjects. O God, save oppressed Muslims everywhere. O God, support the
mujahidin for your sake. O God, support them in Palestine and everywhere."
The imam also prays to God to grant success to the king and his brothers in
their endeavors for the wellbeing of the country and people.