Sheikh Adel Al-Kalbani
RIYADH: SAEED AL-KHOTANI
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.
Source: ArabNews
