Saudi Sheikh's "Fatawah"
Against Al-Qaeda Group
A Saudi scholar has issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) forbidding Muslims from joining al-Qaeda and labeled it "HARAM"
(forbidden in Islam), press reports said on Tuesday, amid concerns about the growing strength of operatives in Yemen.
Sheikh Abdul Mohsen al-Obeikan, one of the top religious scholars and an advisors in the court of King Abdullah, states Muslims who join the militant group and engage in terrorist operations are deviating from the right path of Islam, accordging to the Saudi newspaper Okaz .
"Affiliation with the so-called al-Qaeda group is haram," meaning forbidden in Islam, al-Obeikan told the paper, adding "It is strictly prohibited to legitimatize the shedding of blood of other Muslims without having the right to do so."
Obeikan reiterated the official Saudi view that Qaeda's ideology was one of forbidden "takfirism," which accuses others of apostasy to justify murdering them.
Anyone who joins al-Qaeda "belongs to a group that has adopted takfir thinking," he said.
Although there are no more al-Qaeda members in Saudi, the terrorist group is gaining ground in neighboring Yemen, which is now becoming the main base of their operations in the Arabian Peninsula.
Obeikan, who has played a major role in rehabilitation programs of repentant militants, called on al-Qaeda members in Yemen to repent and turn themselves in to the authorities.
The cleric also warned that "Muslims should not also rise against their leaders or create strife among people."
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