RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s top religious body yesterday warned Muslims against joining militant groups, saying their “deviant doctrine” has no place in Islam.
The Council of Senior Ulema, a group of top Muslim scholars, said it was prohibited under Islamic sharia law to join the fighting.
It called for the prosecution of “inciters” involved in recruiting militants to join the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
“Terrorism... has nothing to do with jihad (holy war) in the name of Allah. Islam has nothing to do with this deviant doctrine,” the council said in a statement.
The council’s head, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, last month branded Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) extremist group “enemy number one” of Islam. Saudi Arabia, a largely Sunni kingdom, favours a strict form of Islam but has been exasperated by the rise of Islamist radicals across the Middle East.
The religious council’s stance reflects the Saudi clerical community’s hostility towards IS jihadists, known for their brutality.AFP
