January 31, 2004

Muslim Faithful Hear Wrathful Prayer

The cleric who delivered the sermon Friday at the annual hajj pilgrimage had a simple request:God Allah [This had to be corrected.--Jen] grant victory to Muslims fighting around the world.

The prayer by Sheik Saleh al-Taleb to 500,000 people in Mecca's Grand Mosque and nearby streets came as the hajj neared its climax.

"Oh God Allah, give victory to the mujahedeen [holy warriors] everywhere,'' al-Taleb said. "Give them victory in Palestine. Oh God, make the Muslims triumphant and destroy their enemies, and make this country and other Muslim countries safe.

"Oh God Allah, inflict your wrath on the criminal Zionists.''
[I think that means denizens of the Great Satan, like us, Jews and Israelis and sometimes even Shi'ite Muslims.--J.T.]
[...]
Rajab al-Arabi, a Belgian pilgrim of Tunisian origin, said that hearing a Grand Mosque sermon is "something one wishes all one's life. It's a dream come true.''

But he added that he had expected a stronger message.

"In Belgium, we have Egyptian and Moroccan clerics who freely criticize the hardships of Muslims, which includes the injustice that has befallen Iraq and the occupation it is under,'' he said.

Wonderful news. Thud.
This shocks me and then again, it doesn't.
I'm sure that the Mecca clerics pray similar prayers to this one every year.
(BTW, anyone out there know the difference between a fervent jihadi prayer delivered by the cleric at the Grand Mosque and a fatwa? Or is there a difference?)
What's interesting is that the Wahhab jihadis have brought the jihad home to Saudi Arabia, in addition to exporting it every place else on the planet, except for Antarctica, Iceland and Lappland.