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P 200735Z MAY 06 ZDK
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9161
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1376
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1454
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 6495
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 000368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP; 
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2016 
TAGS: ECON KISL KPAL PREL SA SCUL
 
JEDDAH 00000368  001.2 OF 002 
 
SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FROM SAUDI ARABIA MAY 12: 
TECHNOLOGY SPREADS IMMORALITY, PALESTINIAN HEROES SUFFER AT 
HANDS OF WEST AND ITS ARAB PROXIES, FAITH WILL TRIUMPH OVER 
ADVERSITY IN LIFE AND IN PALESTINE AND IRAQ, AND A PLEA FOR 
HONESTY AND FAIRNESS IN THE STOCK MARKET 
 
REF: JEDDAH 357 
 
Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller, for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
FROM THE EASTERN PROVINCE:  CONTINUED CONDEMNATION OF 
TECHNOLOGY AND ADVOCACY OF PALESTINE 
 
¶1.  (C) For the  second consecutive week, Shaikh Mohammad 
al-Qahtani lectured the congregation at the Imam Ahmad bin 
Hanbal Mosque in al-Khobar about the dangers associated with 
technology and the unpardonable suffering of the 
Palestinians.  His sermon began by denouncing rumors, but 
then distinguished the tiny effect of rumors in earlier days 
because of the limited means of spreading rumors.  Today, he 
complained modern technology multiplies the adverse effects 
of rumors.  He blamed the media, the internet, and most 
particularly, his favorite target, satellite TV for 
propagating rumors which cause "many acts of violence that 
grip the world nowadays and have caused countless suffering 
(sic) and unnecessary deaths."  He accused the modern mass 
media of willingly spreading heresy.  He warned of further 
and greater acts of violence occurring unless the media is 
contained soon. 
 
¶2.  (C) He then bewailed the suffering of the Palestinian 
people under the Israeli occupation.  He described their 
increasing difficulty in feeding themselves and their 
families, the lack of drugs and medicine, their lack of funds 
and deteriorating educational system, all of which he 
attributed to the American and Western boycott that was 
instituted to punish them for exercising their democratic 
rights, rights that American had called for.  He described 
the Palestinians as "heroes who deserve everyone's support 
and respect." 
 
¶3.  (C) He then criticized Arabs and Arab governments for 
withholding food and financial assistance from the 
Palestinians and also for preventing others from offering 
aid.  His strongest criticism was directed at Arab banks and 
financial institutions which he accused of being mere proxies 
of the West employed to wage war on the Palestinians.  Rising 
to even greater fury, he called on the "faithful to boycott 
banks that refuse to transfer money or aid to the people of 
Palestine in this time of extreme hardship and suffering.  He 
concluded with the pronouncement that the Palestinians do not 
have much to lose.  "They only have roads to cross.  They'll 
either come out victorious or they'll all become martyrs. 
There's nothing else left for them. It's the end of the road." 
 
FROM MECCA:  FAITH WILL PERMIT MUSLIMS TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY 
IN PALESTINE AND IRAQ 
 
¶4.  (U) On May 12, speaking at the holy mosque in Mecca, 
Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman called on Muslims to have faith when 
faced with adversity.  Muslims, he announced, must believe 
that there must be an end to misfortunes, and continued "we 
are optimistic of such relief for the sufferings of our 
brothers in Palestine and the Land of the Two Rivers (Iraq.) 
.  The lesson ended with the familiar prayer to strive to 
"achieve Islamic unity and deprive the lurking enemies of any 
opportunity." 
 
¶5.  (U) His second sermon mirrored the first in encouraging 
Muslims to maintain their faith and meet adversity with 
"sweet satisfaction."  It concluded with the customary appeal 
to God to "support Islam and Muslims, humble non-belief and 
unbelievers, destroy the enemies of religion, and make this 
and other Muslim countries safe and secure." 
 
FROM MEDINA:  IMAM CALLS FOR HONESTY IN BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS 
 
¶6.  (U) In his sermon from the Prophet's Mosque in Medina on 
May 12, Imam Shaykh Husayn ibn-Abd-al-Aziz Al al-Shaykh 
reminded Muslims that they are bound to deal honestly with 
others in business transactions.  Just as the Koran forbids 
the sale of produce before it is ripe, so it is impermissible 
to overprice or outbid others to increase the price of a 
commodity, "as is now happening in the stock exchange market." 
 
JEDDAH 00000368  002.2 OF 002 
 
SUBJECT: MOSQUE SERMONS FROM SAUDI ARABIA MAY 12: 
TECHNOLOGY SPREADS IMMORALITY, PALESTINIAN HEROES SUFFER AT 
HANDS OF WEST AND ITS ARAB PROXIES, FAITH WILL TRIUMPH OVER 
ADVERSITY IN LIFE AND IN PALESTINE AND IRAQ, AND A PLEA FOR 
HONESTY AND FAIRNESS IN THE STOCK MARKET 
 
 
¶7.  (U) The imam's second sermon continued his observations 
on proper behavior in Saudi Arabia's disconcertingly volatile 
stock market, noting that "Islam is a religion of mercy and 
pity, tolerance and facilitation.  Some financial 
corporations," he stormed, "are afflicted by the strong urge 
to make illicit profit and thus exploit people."  He 
condemned this as against the morals of Islam. 
 
¶8.  (U) Reaching beyond the commercial, the imam concluded 
his homily with the prayer to "God to support Palestinians 
and Iraqis against their enemies." 
Gfoeller