Saudi sermon: destroy the Zionist Jews
[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, at 0929 GMT on 16 April 2004 carries a
25-minute live sermon from the holy mosque in Mecca.

Shaykh Salih Bin-Abdallah Bin-Humayd delivers the sermon. After
praising God and His messenger, he calls on Muslims to cling to Islam,
describing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as "the cradle of Islam." Therefore,
he says, "the enemies are directing their arrows at the kingdom to undermine
its position, to tamper with its security, and to plunder its wealth." In
order to achieve their goals, he says, "the enemies are trying to force this
country to change its positions." The kingdom, he adds, continues to extend
a helping hand "to the poor, the needy, and the weak," stressing that
"enemies' conspiracies will fail if the faithful remain patient." Urging
faithful Muslims "not to be a tool of destruction and killing in the hands
of their enemies," the imam says: "The recent aggression against our
brothers, the security men, is a sin and a crime. It is a cheap behavior
and a crime against innocent people prompted by misleading views, strange
opinions, and twisted principles." The imam says that "such actions destroy
gains, block reform and the Islamic call, open the door to the evils of
conflict, and encourage foreign interference."

The imam then recalls how the Al-Khawarij [dissident group in early
Islam, which rebelled against caliphs whom it regarded as corrupt] killed
two caliphs, fought the messengers' companions, and alleged that theirs was
the only right path. The imam also warns Muslims against "religious
extremism," which he describes as "the reason behind destruction." The imam
says that "acts of violence, such as bombings, destruction, and bloodshed
cannot defeat great values, destroy great achievements, liberate a nation,
or impose a religious school," stressing that "extremism, violence, and
terrorism result only in destruction."

The Saudi people, he says, "have stood in one line behind their
leadership by condemning that action as unjustified," stressing that the
nation "is determined to protect its gains and its religion." This country,
he says, "cannot be shaken by any threat or blackmail to harm its Islamic
principles, policies, and sovereignty," adding that the country seeks
"legitimate development and modernization in the educational, economic,
social, and planning areas."

In the second sermon, the imam says "the recent sinful aggressions,
reckless actions, and criminal behavior will not discourage our brothers,
the security men, from carrying out their duties," urging everybody to be
alert to "what is being concocted against this nation, its religion, its
people, its security, and its leaders."

In conclusion, the imam asks God to strengthen Islam, protect our
homeland and our leaders, support the "mujahidin" in Palestine and
elsewhere, "destroy the Zionist Jews," and lift the suffering of the Iraqi
people.