Saudi Arabia: mosques will not be for extremist calls

The Saudi deputy Islamic affairs minister, Tawfiq al-Sadeiri, has stated he will not permit the use of mosques for disseminating calls for extremism or recruiting the youths to work with Osama Bin Laden.

In press statements he made on Sunday, al-Sadeiri called on the Arab youths not to respond to the extremists Islamic calls of Osama Bin Laden, because "he (Bin laden ) lacks the qualifications enabling him to speak on behalf of Islam. A man like him, who is specialized in business administration and the economy, might be a lover for Islam or known Islam in general, but this does not authorize him to issue Fatwa (religious callings) or talk in greater issues or decide the fate of people."

Al-Sadeiri denied that the 15 Saudi highjackers out of 19 who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks are the result of the educational system or the mosques systems in Saudi Arabia, considering that the high-jackers were given their ideas by unqualified men of religion in Afghanistan.

Al-Sadeiri, whose ministry supervises more than 80,000 mosques and appoints Imams in these mosques, said that the government embarks on a moderate line. He admitted that there are "violations" in sermons against the West and the Jews, noting that the ministry, at the meantime takes measures to this effect including warning Imams, or investigating violations and sometimes expelling the Imam.