Saudi King Abdullah is perfectly clear when he warns of the danger of extremist Islam. I might argue that ‘devious politicized doctrine’ didn’t ‘sneak in’, but was allowed in through inattention and assuming that those who wear the cloak of religion are worthy of respect purely for their costumes.
There are Saudis who support extremism. Whether that is because they are ignorant or malignant is the question that needs to be asked and answered for each of them, individually. But there is no question that individual acts rebound on the entirety of Islam, the bad acts more than the good.
Confront deviant ideology: Abdullah
Badea Abu Al-Naja I Arab NewsMAKKAH: The Islamic Ummah is still paying a heavy price for 9/11 and is losing out more with every act of terror, said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in a speech read out on his behalf by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal at the Muslim World League’s 10th annual Makkah convention.
“Enmity from within, which is the most perilous, can be seen in attempts to kidnap moderate Islam by gangs of ignorant people who propagate rigidity out of fear of everything that is new… without any consideration for the rules of the religion,” said the king in his opening speech at the convention titled: “Problems of Muslim Youth Under Globalization.” “Despite the fact that the Kingdom practices moderation and came into existence under the banner of Islam, it has suffered a lot because of the devious politicized doctrine which has sneaked incognito into the country,” he said.
…
Saudi Gazette‘s coverage of the King’s speech is here.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
November:22:2009 - 12:17
“Youths have the intellectual, physical and innate readiness to achieve their aspirations by any means and Islam shows them the right way to do this and the right way to make use of their leisure time,”
Why doesn’t someone take their fat wallets and build something for the youth like a skateboard park or a BMX track. An indoor one is preferable because of the harsh climate.
November:22:2009 - 15:28
John– I would agree with your argument. The King makes a good case though for calling on the Ummah to protect against extremist/violent ideologies that defame Islam, and also for incorporating contemporary science and technology into the advancement of Muslim societies.
The Saudi Gazette had 2 interesting side bar articles: the King presenting an award to Berlusconi; and 4 deaths from swine flu among Haj pilgrims.
November:22:2009 - 16:39
the king is saying some correct things here but is playing dumb because extremism occurred on their own watch.
when did extremism benefit the al-sauds?
- forming the saudi state
abdulaziz needed some islamic “cloak” to unite his English-defined land. he used the ikhwan, an extremist group.
- after the 1979 makkah masjid takeover
these claimed the Saudi state wasn’t “islamic” enough. they gave in and handed internal non-political affairs to the religious establishment
- fighting soviets in afghanistan
to appear islamic and please the USA
but now extremism doesn’t benefit them. so as you can see, if building BMX tracks keeps them in power, they would do that.
November:22:2009 - 17:52
Recommended reading… Renouncing Islamism: To the brink and back again
November:22:2009 - 22:29
Me: I can add a few other items to the wish list
And F the swine flu and the sterilizing of stones. That is just nuts!
November:24:2009 - 04:46
John Ballard thanks for the recommended reading.
I read it and it is remarkable with very good insights!
I was glued to every word.
November:29:2009 - 11:50
Accelerated Links – Obama, Israel, Islam And Saudi Spousal Abandonment…
John Bolton was right about Iran along.
Justice meted out to Gaza terror doll.
From the annals of Jewish terror.
Netanyahu and the unilateral settlement freeze.
Heroin and Afghan security guards.
The case for perpetual war.
Military occupation doesn…..