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PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHJI #0320/01 1161346
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261346Z APR 06
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9098
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1359
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1437
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 6451
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000320 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP; 
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2016 
TAGS: KISL PREL SA SCUL
SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FROM SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 21, 2006 
 
Classified By: Management Officer Hector Morales for reasons 
1.4(b) and (d) 
 
FROM THE EASTERN PROVINCE -- THE ENEMIES OF ISLAM: AMERICA 
AND "ENEMIES WITHIN" 
 
¶1.     (C) On Friday, April 21, at the Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal 
Mosque in Khobar, Imam Shaykh al-Qahtani reprised one of his 
greatest hits, a brazen political sermon delivered a few 
years ago which, while conceding that the United States and 
the West are enemies of Islam, stressed the greater danger of 
"enemies within," fellow Muslims who form a fifth column 
rather than acting as faithful followers of God's religion. 
Al-Qahtani accused Arab leaders of seeking only to please 
their Western masters, and the West of intimidating them into 
doing its bidding. An Arab leader "will throw people in jail 
under the pretext that they are extremists who must be dealt 
with, or he will kill others because of their alleged links 
to terrorism, or even shut down a charity because it was used 
to fund terrorist operations," he said. "This is the way to 
make sure the red carpet will be rolled out for him." 
America, in turn, uses scare tactics to coerce Arab leaders 
into "combating Muslim expansion or anything that smells like 
it." "What do you expect," al-Qahtani asked, "of a leader who 
is repeatedly told that his end will be in the hands of 
Muslim extremists?" Yet America will not succeed, he 
predicted. As the 19th century belonged to the Christians and 
the 20th to the Jews, it is God's will that "the 21st century 
will belong to Islam and Islam only." "Istanbul and Rome will 
be the key to the re-introduction of Islam to Europe," he 
said. "Their fall will herald its return to that continent." 
 
FROM MECCA -- FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS THE DOOR TO REFORM; 
PRAYER FOR GOD TO DEAL WITH "OCCUPIER ZIONIST JEWS" 
 
¶2.     (U) Speaking at the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, Imam 
Shaykh Salih bin Abdullah bin Humayd devoted his sermon to 
freedom of expression and reform. He began by saying that 
freedom of expression, or dialogue, is the door to reform. 
"People exchange talk for the sake of construction and mutual 
understanding and not for confrontation and clashing," he 
said. Dialogue is "the pillar of education" and "the key to 
reasoning," and it enables construction, change, and reform. 
Therefore, he said, "It must have its freedom." However, 
"freedom is a responsbility, and the aim is reform and 
construction ad not destruction o corruption." Accordingly, 
"here must be rules for this freedom, and standardsfor this 
responsibility." He continued, "What mus be observed in the 
rules of freedom of expression and freedom of the word is 
sincerity, search for the truth, and avoidance of the 
tendency to follow one's whims and to use the word for 
personal triumph or fanaticism for a group, a sect, or an 
idea." Moreover, "it is essential to side with the truth and 
to accept it from whatever side." 
 
¶3.     (U) The imam's second sermon carried the same theme. 
"The word of truth and justice is desirable and 
praiseworthy," he said, "and the word of falsehood is 
forbidden and condemned." The imam prayed for God to "support 
the mujahidin who struggle in your cause to elevate your 
word." Praying for God to support Islam and the Muslim 
people, he concluded, "The occupier Zionist Jews have 
tyrannized, harmed, corrupted, destroyed, killed, and 
evicted." He continued, "O God, deal with them for they are 
within your power." 
 
FROM MEDINA -- AVOIDANCE OF EXTREMISM IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE; 
PRAYER FOR GOD TO "CLEANSE AL-AQSA MOSQUE FROM THE FILTH OF 
THE JEWS" 
 
¶4.     (U) In his sermon at the Mosque of the Prophet in 
Medina, Imam Shaykh Salah bin Muhammad al-Budayr said the 
Islamic nation has reached its high status because of the 
Qur'an, the Sunna, and shari'a, which are against extremism. 
Rejecting the idea that moderation means the destruction of 
values and the corruption of morals, he said, "Centrism in 
Islam is avoidance of extremism on issues of faith, belief, 
legislation, politics, peace, war, the call, education, 
reform, behavior, and worship, and in fact in all aspects of 
life." "Giving free reign to one's desires and rejecting the 
shari'a controls, and openness without distinguishing between 
what is permissible and what is forbidden and between what is 
useful and what is harmful, is not part of the tolerance and 
 
JEDDAH 00000320  002 OF 002 
 
 
magnanimity of Islam," he said. On the other hand, "depriving 
oneself and society of the good things of life and 
permissible enjoyment and the useful innovations of the age 
are not part of moderation." 
 
¶5.     (U) The imam again approached the subject of moderate 
Islam in his second sermon. He called on God to support Islam 
and the Muslim people, while, as in the sermons from Mecca, 
praying for God to "deal with the usurper Jews and 
treacherous Zionists." He added, "O God, kill them with their 
weapons, burn them with their fire, and make them a lesson 
for others. O God, cleanse al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of 
the Jews." Concluding his sermon on a more peaceful note, the 
imam prayed for unity in Iraq and for security, prosperity, 
dignity, and stability in Saudi Arabia, so that its leaders 
may serve the might of Islam and the Muslim people. 
Gfoeller