The holy patrons of Alqaeda the influential hard-line Saudi Ulema Ali Al-Khodheir and Al-Fadh have renounced their "Fatawa" about supporting militancy they now make repentance of their sins, Alqaeda being denied its ideological underpinning and now is on the run as more than 600 terrorists have been arrested so far by overzealous Saudi security apparatus ready to down Alqaeda as a result of Bush doctrine of active containment and steady destruction of its global tentacles, those who cannot see this success are denying reality.;;..
Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Awadh Asseri says influential hard-line Saudi Ulema have started renouncing their "Fatawa" about militancy. Report by Tariq Butt in The News today..
At an Iftar dinner hosted for journalists, the ambassador named two top Saudi clerics, Ali Al-Khodheir and Al-Fadh, who, he said, have voluntarily stated on Saudi television that their earlier edicts were wrong that they now surrender them. "This sent a good message to a handful of misled clique to relinquish their activities and mend their present and future," he added.
At the government level, the ambassador said, there is no leniency for these elements as according to the official policy, the only way to talk to them is through rifle and sword. The government, he added, is absolutely determined to deal with them in order to completely eliminate them.
However, Asseri said, it was the job of Ulema, scholars, universities, psychiatrists and civil society to divert the misled and brainwashed individuals to normal life and rescind their activities that do no service either Islam or the humanity.
So far, the ambassador said, more than 600 terrorists have been arrested. The Saudi government is going to fight the criminals with determination and vigour, he said. "We are going to hunt them. We are going to make sure that they do not cause harm to the innocent. The government will not rest until all the terrorists have been eliminated," Asseri said.
Saudi Arabia, the ambassador said, has started rehabilitating those, who were not yet involved in unlawful activities. The effort, he added, is to galvanise them in the society. Asseri said that terrorism is a phenomenon that has nothing to do with the religion. "We have to see how the children, who are not well supervised, are affected by just one tape-recorded message." Answering a question, the ambassador said that the recent terrorist attack in Riyadh was not aimed at the royal family. "We cannot say the 9/11 attack was on the Bush family or the Istanbul strike was on the Turkish government," he added.
The ambassador was grateful to the government and the people of Pakistan for the immense support and sympathy expressed to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Riyadh attack. "Joined together by the eternal bond of a common religion and cultural values, I am overwhelmed that you all have deep-rooted respect and love for the government and the people of Saudi Arabia. We value these feelings of friendship and brotherhood and pray for the progress and prosperity of the people of Pakistan," Asseri said.
The ambassador said this was not for the first time that Saudi Arabia has become a victim of terrorism. Like so many other countries, Saudi Arabia has been a victim of terrorism for a long time, he said, adding that there had been an upsurge of terrorist activity in the recent past.
The Saudi authorities, he said, have launched an uncompromising war against terrorism on its soil and the effort is bearing results. The ambassador said the Saudi government is also extending unstinting support to combat terrorism at the international front. There could be no better evidence of it than the speech that Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz recently delivered at the OIC summit in Malaysia and later at Islamabad, he said. "On both occasions, the crown prince launched a scathing attack on terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and cautioned the Muslims all over the world to wage a war against the terrorists so that they could be eliminated," Asseri pointed out.
The ambassador said the way these attacks have been perpetrated and the tangible evidence obtained from the site, leave no doubt about the fact that the attackers belonged to the al-Qaeda. "The al-Qaeda members arrested so far testify to this," he said, adding: "There is no mistaking their identity, or their objectives that they are out to unsettle the resolute anti-terrorist commitments of the Saudi authorities." However, the ambassador said, the terrorists are not going to dilute the Saudi resolve to go after them with renewed determination and an intention to exterminate them.
Asseri said that as part of this policy, the Saudi government is extending total support to friendly countries to counter the menace of terrorism. "This is not a fight that can be won by just one country. All the countries of the world are together in this fight. That is the only way to eliminate these murderers," he added.
The ambassador said there was no support for these terrorists in the kingdom and they are a group of deviants, misfits and criminals, who have no respect for the teachings of Islam or any other faith. "They have no respect for the principles of humanity. They are evil. Their objective is evil. It is to terrorise the innocent and to bring harm to them. We’ll not let this pass," he added.
Asseri said that the Saudi government is not alone in this battle. It has the total support of the Saudi people. They are angry, outraged and want their government to act, he said. "We have seen a coming together of our society that has turned out citizens into allies. They are cooperating with the government agencies. They are providing tips and leads. We are very united and determined as a country. We’ll win this battle. It may be a long battle, but we are determined to win, and will win in the end," the ambassador said. |
