january 11, 2006

Annual Muslim Pilgrimage Turns into Mecca of Hate

The annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca took place this week. Here is a taste of what to expect, from the Times of India:

West scaring away people from Islam: Saudi cleric

MECCA (Saudi Arabia): A top Saudi cleric told Muslim pilgrims marking the climax of Haj on Tuesday that the West was using the global phenomenon of terrorism to scare people away from Islam and discredit legitimate Muslim causes.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudeis, the state-appointed preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, also called for stability in Iraq and said Islam was innocent of the charge of "terrorism".

"The campaign against Islam has become fierce and Muslims are being described in insulting terms to distort the image of Islam and scare people away from it," he told the 2.5 million pilgrims in a sermon to mark the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

He accused Western countries of hypocrisy in promoting freedom and democracy, citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"When the oppressor Zionist enemy uses its war of smart bombs and tanks against our brothers in Palestine, violating our holy sites, that's not terrorism to their mind - but defending land, religion and honour is," Sudeis said.

Sounds like a bastion of peace and tolerance, eh?  

EMail Erick Stakelbeck With Your Comments ...