The Council of Senior Islamic Scholars (the ulema) has condemned the car bombing in Al-Khobar last Tuesday as a criminal act prohibited by Islamic law.   In an extraordinary session convened in Taif on Saturday under the chairmanship of Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, the council reviewed the incident which claimed innocent lives and caused hundreds of injuries, with extensive damage to both public and private property.

Following the meeting, the Council issued a statement, signed by all twenty-one members, voicing strong condemnation of the bombing as an act running contrary to Sharia (Islamic Law) and declaring:  “It was an attack on the lives and property of citizens, and against the security, stability and interests of the Kingdom”.   Branded the explosion as a “disgraceful act”, the Islamic scholars stressed that inflicting injustice upon people and terrifying residents, Muslims as well as non-Muslims, was a heinous crime, and stated:  “We pray to Almighty God to expose the culprits”.

Pointing out that Islam considers the lives of Muslims and those who are bound by treaties with Muslims as inviolable, the statement quoted a saying by the Prophet Muhammad: “He who kills an ally will not smell the fragrance of Paradise”, and added that Islam does not tolerate harassment of non-Muslims living in a Muslim country, and considers the criminal act of murdering a non-Muslim an act of betrayal and a sinful aggression that causes consternation among Muslims as well as non-Muslims.

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