Thursday, December 14, 2006
Saudi clerics call on Sunnis to turn on Iraqi Shias
Security
In a statement posted on a Saudi Islamist website on December 11, 38 prominent Saudi clerics praised the Iraqi insurgency and called on Sunni Arabs throughout the Middle East to mobilize against Iraq's Shi'as and to support the country's Sunni Arabs, international media reported on December 12. The clerics warned that Shi'as are rapidly taking control of Iraq in a conspiracy with the "Crusaders" and, as a result, are marginalizing the Sunni Arab population. "After almost four years of occupation, it is clear that the aim behind this occupation is for the Crusaders and Shi'as to take control of Iraq, paving the way to complete their control over the region," read the statement, which was dated December 7. Iraq's Sunni Arabs, including remnants of the disbanded Ba'ath Party, are widely believed to form the backbone of the Iraqi insurgency.
