Exclusivist vs. Inclusivist
Khaled Almaeena, almaeena@arabnews.com

During the nearly four years since Sept. 11, 2001, I have been looking closely at the situation of Muslims all over the world. The new threat of terrorism that has sprung up in many parts of the Muslim world is a constant source of worry and anxiety, not only to me but to millions of other Muslims the world over. The last two years in fact have seen terrorist acts in our own country. Such acts are alien to Islam and its ideology; they cannot be justified in any way since there is no justification for the murder of innocents. At the same time, there are those in the Muslim world who believe that “terrorist actions” are a direct reaction to — and a result of — attacks on Muslims in other places. There is no excuse for those “terrorist actions”; they lack any validity and violate every principle of Islamic behavior.

Khaled Al-Maeena, Editor in Chief of Arab News has an excellent opinion piece today. As a Saudi, he’s well aware of the problems that Saudi society is trying to deal with now. Foremost among those issues are religion and world-view. His piece addresses those issues very well. I commend the entire piece to you.