Middle East Friday Prayer Sermons Assail Anti-Arab US, Israeli Policies 13 Dec
GMP20021214000052 Middle East -- FBIS Report in Arabic 13 Dec 02 [FBIS Report]
www.mideastweb.org/mewnews1.htm

The following is a roundup of Friday sermons carried by the news media of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq, and Qatar on 13 December 2002:

Saudi Arabia:
Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia TV1 in Arabic, official television station of the Saudi Government, at 0923 GMT carries a 22-minute live sermon from the holy mosque in Mecca.

Shaykh Usamah Abdallah Khayyat delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, calling on Muslims to worship and obey God and his messenger and stressing that arrogance and tyranny always result in disasters. He devotes his sermon to the importance of sincere advice in Islam.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims, protect Islam, and destroy the enemies of Islam, tyrants, and the corrupt. O God, close the ranks of Muslims and give wisdom to their leaders." He goes on: "O God, help mujahidin elevate your religion and your word everywhere. O God, support the mujahidin in Palestine. O God, destroy the tyrant Jews, for they are within your power. O God, defeat these tyrant Jews and shake the ground under them."

Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabic TV2 in Arabic, official television station of the Saudi Government, at 0929 GMT carries a 23-minute live sermon from the holy mosque in Medina.

Shaykh Ali al-Hudhayfi delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, urging "the servants of God and Muslims" to obey and thank God for his gifts by carrying out the religious duties. He devotes his sermon to the importance of thankfulness and obedience to God.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims and humiliate infidelity and infidels. O God, destroy your enemies, the enemies of Islam, for they are within your power. O God, close the ranks of Muslims, guide them to the path of peace, and help them score victory over your enemy and their enemy."

Yemen:
Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, official television station of the Republic of Yemen, at 0906 GMT carries a 30-minute live sermon from the Grand Mosque in Sanaa.

Shaykh Akram Abd-al-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, urging Muslims to obey God by carrying out the religious duties as a way to salvation. He devotes his sermon to the need for Muslims to abide by the Koran, which, he says, "bans Muslims from following infidels, Jews, and Christians," citing relevant Koranic verses.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, support and protect mujahidin everywhere and give them victory over their enemies. O God, destroy the Zionist aggressors and their unjust allies." He also asks God to close the ranks of Muslims and to give success to the Yemeni leader.

Jordan:
Amman Jordan Television Channel 1 in Arabic, official television station of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, at 0942 GMT carries a 19-minute live sermon from martyr King Abdallah Mosque in Amman.

Shaykh Sa´id Hijjawi delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, urging Muslims to worship and obey God, just as they did during the month of Ramadan. He devotes his sermon to the rules and advantages of fasting as a religious duty.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims, elevate justice and Islam, and protect your mujahidin servants in Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir, and elsewhere." He goes on: "O God, destroy your enemies, the enemies of Islam, for they are within your power."

West Bank and Gaza Strip
Gaza Palestine Satellite Channel Television in Arabic, official television station of the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza Voice of Palestine in Arabic -- Second Program -- official radio station of the Palestinian Authority broadcasting from Gaza -- at 0920 GMT carry a 35-minute live sermon from Khalil al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza.

Shaykh Ibrahim Mudayris delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions. Asking God "to take revenge against tyrants in this world," he stresses that some day, Arabs "will announce the downfall of the United States, which claims to be the God of this world, if it insists on pursuing the path of tyranny." It will fall down, he says, "if it continues its support for our enemies at the expense of our cause and our sanctities." The imam then denounces "Israel´s ugly crimes against our Palestinian people," including the Al-Burayj refugee camp massacre, "in which more than 10 people were killed." Despite this, he says, "they [enemies] accuse us of terrorism and also level the same accusation against those offering us humanitarian and medical aid." He says Palestinians do not want money or weapons from Arabs and Muslims, but "we want moral, humanitarian, or material support for the blessed intifadah," stressing that "these massacres will open the way to liberation." Declaring that Palestinians are confronting Israel and the United States, the strongest force in the world, the Imam says the Israeli weapons arsenal cannot frighten Palestinians, who believe that God is much stronger. The imam then stresses that if Palestinians close their ranks and avoid fragmentation, which, he says, "is considered a strong weapon in the hands of our enemies," victory will be scored and occupation will come to an end.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, support the mujahidin, who are fighting for your sake everywhere. O God, help fighters in Palestine score victory. O God, lift the siege on the Palestinian people and their leadership."

Ramallah Voice of Palestine, official radio station of the Palestinian Authority, at 0930 GMT carries a live Friday sermon from Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Shaykh Ikrimah Sabri delivers the sermon. He begins by praising God, the messenger, and his companions. The radio carries the first 10 minutes of the sermon with bad reception, airs music and a religious talk for 10 minutes, and goes off the air.

Syria:
Damascus Syrian Arab Republic Radio in Arabic, official station of the Syrian Government, at 0951 GMT carries a 23-minute live sermon from Al-Mawlawiyah Mosque in Damascus.

Shaykh Salim Shab´aniayh delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, urging Muslims to abide by Islam and to obey God. Turning to politics, the imam says: "President Bashar al-Asad sticks to the Islamic principles in the face of the current challenges, calling for Islamic solidarity to promote Arab and Islamic causes, foremost of which are the Palestine question and the Islamic sanctities. Such solidarity will enable the Arab and Islamic nation to stand firm in the face of Zionist brutality against humanity. Israel commits crimes of assassination, kills Palestinians, destroys property, and deports Palestinians." He then hails President Al-Asad´s support for the Palestinian intifadah, stressing that the Syrian masses "love and back their beloved president."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims and elevate justice and Islam. O God, support those supporting the religion and disappoint those disappointing Muslims. O God, destroy the enemies of Arabs and Muslims, for they are within your power." He also asks God to support President Al-Asad and to help the Palestinian intifadah score victory over "the criminal Zionists."

Iraq:
Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television in Arabic, official television station of the Iraqi Government, at 0919 GMT carries a 63-minute live sermon from Abd-al-Qadir al-Jaylani Mosque in Baghdad.

Shaykgh Bakr Abd-al-Razzaq al-Samarra´i delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, advising Muslims to obey God and his messenger and urging them "not to follow the examples of Jews and Christians" in any way. Addressing 1.2 billion Muslims, the imam says that "we are in a very bad situation and that Islam is not just an identity but an application of the meaning of God is great." Jihad, he says, "means fighting infidels." Regretting the fact that Muslims are killing their Muslim brothers and glorifying infidels, the imam says: "Now, infidels are roaming the Arabian Peninsula while Muslims refrain from performing pilgrimage." Compared to God´s capability, he says, "Bush, the United States, Britain, Zionism, and their allies are nothing," citing a relevant Koranic verse. Stressing that faith can destroy infidels and tyrants, he says: "O Bush, by God, I do not want to mention your name in this place. I tell Americans, Britain, Zionism, Masonry, and all agents that whatever you do to us, we will never abandon our religion." The imam also says that the patient Iraqi people "will launch jihad for God´s sake until God grants us victory or we perish." A rotten Jew, "whose mother is a monkey and his father is a pig," he says, "declared several days ago that if Israel was struck, Mecca and Medina would be struck," urging Muslims to defend Muhammad´s nation and its sanctities. The imam them calls on Palestinians "not to weaken or be grieved if you believe in God," stressing the need for "the nation of Muhammad" to stand fast "in the face of infidels -- the United States, Britain, Jews, Crusaders, and their allies."

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims, elevate justice and Islam, and help us score victory over infidels and tyrants. O God, destroy those seeking to harm us, our religion, our homeland, our sanctities, and Arabs and Muslims." He goes on: "O God, destroy the United States, Britain, and their allies. O God, destroy Zionism, Jews, and Crusaders." He also asks God to give victory to President Saddam Husayn.

Qatar:
Doha Qatar Television Service in Arabic, official television station of the State of Qatar, at 0842 GMT carries a 48-minutre live sermon from Umar Bin-al-Khattab Mosque in Doha.

An unidentified shaykh delivers the sermon. He praises God, the messenger, and his companions, stressing that it is time for the Islamic nation to distinguish between what God has revealed and what people are doing and that Islam considers all its followers as one nation, regardless of race or origin. The imam then says, "any aggression against Jerusalem is considered an aggression against Mecca and Media because they all are lands of Islam." He urges Islamic nations and leaders "to refuse to relinquish Jerusalem or any other Islamic land under any slogan, agreement, or treaty until the last drop of their blood." The West, he says, "is planning to partition Sudan, plant a new state in the Western Sahara of Morocco, and fragment Iraq," wondering why Muslims do not take Western concepts that are in harmony with Islam and Arab traditions. He also regrets Muslims´ failure to achieve unity and calls on the Islamic countries to unite themselves under one leadership or at least to establish a military alliance.

Concluding, the imam prays to God: "O God, we ask you to defeat aggressive Jews. O God, destroy them, for they are within your power. O God, destroy and disperse them." He goes on: "O God, help our brothers in Palestine score a clear victory."

No further processing planned.

Iran: Ayatollah Amini Criticizes Students´ ´Deviationist´ Slogans at Rally IAP20021214000112 Tehran Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 2 in Persian 1350 GMT 14 Dec 02

[Excerpt of Qom Friday prayers sermon delivered by Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini -- recorded]

[FBIS Translated Excerpt]
[The following is an excerpt on Qom Friday-prayer sermons led by Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini on 13 December and broadcast by the second network of Iranian TV, IRTV2, on 14 December]

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. [Passage omitted on religious issues in the first and second sermons and criticism of state television for its programmes]

We had many events this week and I am going to talk about a number of them briefly. Last week, we had 16 Azar [7 December], which was the Student Day. It is a precious day because that is when our beloved students staged an uprising in protest at the American coup d´etat against the Iranian government. They put up resistance and a number of them were martyred. Naturally, we expected to see anti-imperialist actions and slogans on such a day. However, unfortunately, this was not the case. Instead, we saw radical moves and deviationist slogans which made the enemy happy. Therefore, we are truly regretful.

In this connection, I thought it necessary to say a number of things to you and our young people. What I want to say is to address the altruistic officials of the state. You are aware of the important role played by young people, especially university students, in the victory of the Islamic revolution, during the imposed war [reference to the Iran-Iraq war, 1980-88] and in Construction Jihad. You know that those who will build the future of this country will belong to the same class of people as well. We will really need their cooperation. We have to bear in mind the important point that the quest for justice and ending discrimination are important characteristics of the younger generation.

Young people are seriously suffering from injustice, inequality, poverty, deprivation and other serious problems. They cannot withstand them any longer. It is necessary that we should try to understand young people and value them. We should not confine ourselves to making speeches and giving them advice. We should talk to them instead. We will have to listen to what they have to say carefully. We will have to listen to what they have to say. We will have to meet their legitimate demands. We will have to give them hope and assure them that we will accept what is right.

Even if they have demands that are not rightful, we can try to convince them by talking to them in a friendly and encouraging manner. That was what I had to say to our officials. The second thing that I have to say concerns the young people themselves. O dear young people, you are well aware of the role played by the global arrogance in ensuring the poverty, deprivation and backwardness of Third World countries, especially Iran. You are intellectuals and it is expected that you should never forget the motto of fighting against imperialism. [Crowd chants slogans, including: God is great, Khamene´i is our leader, death to opponents of the guardianship of the supreme jurisconsult, death to America, death to Israel]

You must not deviate from this important path which may define your destiny. Otherwise, you will regret what you have done. O dear young people, I am aware of your internal complexes. You are suffering from the people´s problems and your problems are primarily economic problems, poverty, unemployment, inflation, injustice, unfair discrimination and administrative problems. You are right. However, it is necessary for me to tell you that Islam, the Islamic state and the constitution were not responsible for causing these problems. If we had acted properly on the basis of immaculate Islamic principles and the constitution, then, undoubtedly, we would not have faced the problems we are facing now. Some of those problems were caused by the sabotage and mischief-making of the enemies of Islam. Other problems have been caused by certain mistakes and weak management.

Problems will not be resolved by chanting deviationist slogans, the resort to violence and expressing intense feelings which one has not thought about. Only the enemy will derive benefits from such moves. You must be vigilant and careful. You must be careful lest enemy agents infiltrate your pure and honest ranks and seek to deviate you from your path. You must not be suspicious of state officials. You must discuss your legitimate demands with them in a friendly manner. You must have a rational dialogue with them. You must cooperate with them to resolve your problems. You can rest assured that all problems can be resolved through the honest consensus and cooperation among yourselves and our well-intentioned officials.

You must not try to create a rift between our officials. In fact, you must call upon them to unite and cooperate with one another. You must insist upon achieving this important demand. That was what I wanted to say to our officials and our dear young people. That was very short and brief. I hope that Almighty God will enable our nation, as well as our young people and university students and state officials to achieve unity and unanimity and cooperation. [Crowd says Amen]

[Passage omitted: On Amini talking about Research Day, Transport Day and the death of Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi] (IMRA.ORG.IL 12/15/02)