Sheikh Adel
Al-Kalbani, a former imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, has denounced the
recent terrorist attacks in Paris.
The denouncement
came in the form of tweets from his Twitter account. “The Paris incidents show
that what Islam has done in years through Muslim preachers has been destroyed
in moments,” he said. “It’s the handiwork of a few ignorant people and what
they have done amounts to treason.”
Al-Kalbani has
always been critical of erring Muslims, whether in the Kingdom or abroad. He
was the imam of King Khaled Mosque in the capital for around 25 years.
Toward the end
of 2008, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah appointed him as a
Grand Mosque imam to lead Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan. He is now the imam
of Al-Muhaisen Mosque in northeast of the capital.
Paris terrorist
attacks have deeply shocked the Saudis and a look of sadness was easily seen on
their faces, not only because these brutal acts are denounced by Islam but also
because very often the price for such inhuman acts is paid by innocent Muslims
living in the West.
Amid the gloom,
there were some heartwarming events — like when a French Interior Ministry
tweet quoted President Francios Hollande as saying in his TV address on Jan. 9
that those who committed these acts have nothing to do with Islam and when a
quick-thinking young Muslim employee, an immigrant from Mali, named Lassana
Bathily, hid several French Jewish shoppers in the basement of a kosher
supermarket in Paris, before sneaking out to brief police on the hostage taker
upstairs, the action that resulted in saving their lives.
In addition to
the Al-Kalbani denouncement, many imams in different parts of the Kingdom have
denounced the terror attacks in Paris, according to local Arabic press.
However, they did not agree with what the French newspaper did — ridiculing
Muslims and insulting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) — in its pages.
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