(WASHINGTON, DC) - Today, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-AsShaikh, who is also Chairman of the Council of Senior Ulema (religious scholars) and the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, denounced extremist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda who claim terrorist acts in the name of Islam.

In a statement titled, “Foresight and Remembrance,” Sheikh Al-AsShaikh stated, "The ideas of extremism, radicalism and terrorism do not belong to Islam in any way, but are the first enemy of Islam, and Muslims are their first victims, as seen in the crimes of the so-called Daash (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda and their affiliated groups.”

Last month, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz urged Muslims to defeat terrorism during his Eid Al-Fitr address. “These groups have become an easy tool for the enemies of Islam who use them to terrorize and kill innocent people through the distortion of the holy text and interpretation of Islamic law to serve their ends and personal interests,” said King Abdullah.