MEMRI:Saudi Poet Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: How Many Times Have We Heard
Sermons Praying For Annihilation of Others
Special Dispatch|3495 |January 9, 2011

Saudi Poet Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: Muslims to Blame for Denmark Cartoon
Crisis...'How Many Times Have We Heard, Since We Were Children, Friday
Sermons - In Which All Other Denominations And Religions Are Accused of
Heresy? They Pray Day and Night: Oh Allah, Annihilate Them, Oh Allah, Turn
Their Sons Into Orphans And Their Women Into Widows...We Are Constantly
Provoking People'

Following are excerpts from an interview with Saudi poet Abd Al-Rahman
Al-Shimri, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on December 26, 2010.

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2743.htm.

Interviewer: "You appeared on a radio show, and said that you refused to
defend the Prophet Muhammad, during the crisis of the offensive cartoons in
Denmark."

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: "That is correct."

Interviewer: "You support rapprochement, yet you refuse to defend the
Prophet Muhammad?"

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: "When talking about the defense, we need to talk
about how the attack began."

Interviewer: "Where did it begin?"

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: "The attack began from our side, not from Denmark."

Interviewer: "In what way?"

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: "Did Denmark launch a war against the Muslims, and
destroy the mosques of the Islamic communities there, or was it an
individual who drew the cartoons? It was a single person. Is it reasonable
to expect a country – or all the Muslim countries – to sever diplomatic ties
with Denmark, because one person drew cartoons?! [...]

"What Denmark did – was it the action or the reaction?"

Interviewer: "You may think it was the reaction, but it was the action."

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: "How many times have we heard, since we were
children, Friday sermons – and you know how vehement our religious discourse
is, including at school – in which all other denominations and religions are
accused of heresy? They pray day and night: 'Oh Allah, annihilate them, oh
Allah, turn their sons into orphans and their women into widows,' and so on.
This vehement rhetoric is not in keeping with the Koran, which says: 'Do not
revile their gods, lest they revile your God;' 'Unto you your religion, and
unto me my religion.' We are constantly provoking people, but when we
ourselves are harmed, we say: They did this, that, and the other to us. This
is wrong. We need to examine ourselves. Who affronts the Prophet Muhammad on
a daily basis? We do."

Interviewer: "How?"

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shimri: "With all our interpretations to hadiths, and the
use we make of false hadiths and myths. You see the results." [...]

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