In his response, posted on Al-Suhaimi's website (www.al-soheemy.net), Al-Suhaimi calls the assassination attempt "a shameful act perpetrated by the enemies of Islam," and harshly denounces all adherents of the Salafi-jihadi stream, saying that they are Khawarij [2] and that their leaders are "ignorant [sheikhs] hiding in caves." He states that with this assassination attempt, the Salafi-jihadis have, as far as the Islamic Shari'a is concerned, placed themselves in the same category as suicides, killers of innocent Muslims, hypocrites, those who violate the sanctity of Ramadan, and those who repay kindness with cruelty.
In an attempt to combat the spread of the Salafi-jihadi ideology, Al-Suhaimi calls on imams, preachers, educators, and writers to protect the youth from this ideology, and to explicitly and unequivocally condemn its proponents. He also calls on parents to keep a close watch on their sons and daughters, lest they be tempted to follow this stream, and to ban writings that inspire it - by Sayyid Qutb, Ahmad Al-Rashed, Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, and others - and also audio and video recordings that incite to jihad.
Following are excerpts from Al-Suhaimi's statement:
The Assassin Was Guided by Fatwas "Far Removed from the Truth of Islam"
"[The act perpetrated against] Prince Muhammad bin Naif was a shameful act, whose perpetrator was recruited by the enemies of Islam... [This man] received misguided fatwas from the leaders of the Khawarij who are hiding in caves - [fatwas] far removed from the truth of Islam and from the divine middle path of Islam upon which [Saudi Arabia] was founded.
"These Khawarij have been known for their depraved character since the dawn of Islam, and no one has escaped their [evil acts] - not even Allah's Messenger [the Prophet Muhammad himself]... who called them 'hounds of hell' and 'the most evil murderers on the face of the earth'... They are present in every era... and it is therefore not surprising that they have decided to target the good men devoted to [our country's] security, such as Prince Muhammad bin Naif, the deputy interior minister for security affairs...
"Allah be praised, the wheel turned against the perpetrator, [who was] the only [actual victim of the crime]..."
According to the Shari'a, The Assassin is a Suicide, the Murderer of an Innocent Muslim, a Hypocrite, and an Ingrate
"Anyone looking at this incident finds that the following religious rulings apply to the perpetrator [of this crime], to whoever issued the fatwa sanctioning it, and to whoever approved or justified it:
"First, [the ruling regarding] those who show hypocrisy; this is because [the bomber] pretended to turn himself in and to repent before Allah... He promised to renounce the deviant ideas of the Khawarij, but [then] broke his promise. He was trusted, and he betrayed this trust; he made a commitment and broke it.
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"Second, [the ruling regarding] suicides; the Prophet said that suicides belong in Hell... Third, [the ruling regarding] one who attempts to kill an innocent Muslim;... the life of a believing Muslim is more sacred than [even] the Ka'ba. Fourth, [the ruling pertaining to] anyone violating the sanctity of Ramadan; and fifth, [the ruling pertaining to] anyone who harms a person who was kind to him and to others; [the Prince] opened his door to [the assassin] and hosted him [in his palace], and [the assassin] repaid him with this despicable act, of which he [himself] was the only victim.
"Such behavior is characteristic of only the most depraved individuals, who are ungrateful [to their benefactors]...
"Prince Muhammad made great efforts to establish a rapport with the members of the [Salafi-jihadi stream], giving them counsel and guidance and pardoning those who repented... We condemn this despicable act and stand as one behind our leaders, [supporting them] in all [their efforts] to attain peace and security for the homeland, its citizens, and the places holy to Islam..."
"We Must All Do Our Part to Protect Our Young People from the Deviant Ideas" of the Salafi-Jihadis
"Following are several proposals:
"First, we must all do our part to protect our young people from the deviant ideas of the Khawarij, each in his own specific field of expertise - in particular the imams and preachers, the scholars and educators, the clerics, the university lecturers, and the writers. This is a religious duty incumbent upon every person in this country, each according to his ability.
"Second, we must call things by their names, and call the proponents of the [Salafi-jihadi] ideology by the names they deserve, for they are Khawarij. In fact, they are worse than the ancient Khawarij, for they have conflated the Khawarij's deviant ideas with Machiavelli's theory of the end justifying the means.
"[Therefore,] it is not enough for writers and preachers to beat about the bush and to settle for hints and [halfhearted] condemnation. They must [explicitly] denounce the proponents of this ideology, and explain the Shari'a ruling regarding them, so as to clarify the facts and to warn the entire nation - particularly the youth - against being tempted by this ideology.
"[The proponents of this ideology] feed off [materials that they find] on the Internet, and fatwas [issued by] the ignorant [sheikhs] hiding in caves, who are possibly inspired by the Freemasons, by Rotary [International], and by Zionist organizations or their ilk."
The [Salafi-Jihadi] Ideology's Sources of Inspiration Must Be Dried Up - By Eliminating All the Books That Feed It
"Third, this ideology's sources of inspiration must be dried up, by eliminating all the books that feed it, such as [the writings of] Sayyed Qutb, Muhammad Ahmed Al-Rashed... and [Abu Muhammad] Al-Maqdisi... as well as other takfiri [3] books and all the takfiri publications of the Muslim Brotherhood and [the movements] that split off from it.
"It is also necessary to eliminate the video and audio recordings... that spread poison in the guise of calling for jihad but in reality [only spread] corruption... through which the perverse takfiri ideology is disseminated.
"Fourth, parents must monitor their sons and daughters everywhere, [overseeing] whom they consort with, whom they befriend and meet, and what they read, watch and listen to - for [the young people] they are our charges, and we are all responsible for them...
"Fifth, our security personnel must be provided with... religious guidance regarding the Khawarij, so that they understand that their important activity against [the Khawarij] is part of their faith and that Allah will reward them for it."
Endnotes:
[1] The prince was attacked in his palace by a terrorist who pretended to have renounced his former views, and who asked for an audience with the prince in order to turn himself in. On August 28, 2009, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that the assassin was 'Abdallah Hassan Tali' 'Asiri, aka Abu Al-Khayr, who was on Saudi Arabia's list of most wanted terrorists. For more on the assassination attempt, see The MEMRI Blog, "Saudi Internal Affairs Deputy Minister Escapes Assassination Attempt" and MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor, "AQAP Claims Responsibility for Assassination Attempt against Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Naif."
[2] The Khawarij were a group that separated from the forces of Fourth Caliph 'Ali ibn Abi-Talib during the battle of Siffin in 657 BCE, and they are considered the first Muslim opposition within Islam. Hence, this term is used as a derogatory label for a secessionist group.
[3] Takfir, i.e. accusing other Muslims of heresy, is an important element of Salafi ideology.
