Asharq Alawsat reports on Shi’a efforts—apparently originating in Iran—to take down Sunni websites, including those of Saudi preacher Aaidh al-Qarni.

Sunni and Shia Hackers Battle it Out Online
Turki Al-Saheil

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Hackers, believed to be of Iranian origin have destroyed a number of Sunni Internet websites, including the alislamnet.com website, which belongs to Dr. Aaidh al-Qarni, a Saudi preacher, and another website that specializes in the prophet’s Sunna [line of conduct] and its sciences, in addition to other websites. This campaign is believed to be in retaliation for a similar campaign that was led by Sunni hackers against Shiite websites.

The hackers drew the Iranian flag on an unidentified face and wrote at the top of the website’s main page in both Arabic and Persian the following Koranic verse: “If then anyone transgresses the prohibition against you, transgress ye likewise against him [Koranic verse, Al-Baqarah, 2:194],” which indicates that this campaign falls within the framework of “retaliation.”

The Iranian hackers posted on each of the destroyed electronic websites an Israeli flag divided in half next to a picture of the Arabian Gulf on which they wrote: “The Persian Gulf.” They also drew on the right cheek of the face, which is painted in the colors of the Iranian flag, a logo that is similar to that of the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], which has often criticized Tehran for its no cooperation on the nuclear issue. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat over the telephone, Aaidh al-Qarni condemned the destruction of his website by Iranian hackers. He said that “alislamnet.com has been completely destroyed and has lost all its contents.” The Saudi preacher described the destruction of Internet websites as “an odious and aggressive act.” He said that “such behavior is inconsistent with all of Tehran’s calls to build bridges of cooperation and peaceful coexistence between Sunnis and Shiites.”
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