Saudi Arabia's grand mufti lashed out at "enemies" of the Islamic world for targeting the faith and the economy of the Muslims, in the main Hajj pilgrimage sermon Monday.
These enemies "have been targeting the Ummah (Islamic nation) in its faith. They are aiming at its economy and are attempting to link it with their economic system", Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh told more than two million Muslims who gathered at Mount Arafat for the annual Hajj climax.
"The struggle today is religious and economic. The enemies are trying to use any pretext to attack this nation" to control its economy, Sheikh Abdul Aziz said, without making any mention of US threats against oil-rich Iraq.
"The Islamic Ummah is (also) being targeted by its enemies... in its values, morals and culture," said the mufti. He blamed Muslims for contributing to this by abandoning the roots of the faith.
"Don't you see the tragedies that have been inflicting the Ummah? ...Don't you see how the enemies are gathering and are preparing to wage war on you? ... This has been caused by us because we abandoned the religion," he said, according to AFP.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz said the enemies would not be able to defeat Muslims if they adhere to the real Islam. "Victory will not come without going back to God and unifying the ranks," he warned. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
