Manama: Saudi Arabia’s religious authorities have given its mosque imams one last chance to condemn the militant attack on a Saudi-Yemeni border crossing two weeks ago.
Last week, the Islamic affairs, endowment and guidance ministry had asked all preachers to denounce the attacks in their Friday sermons as part of a nation-wide campaign to raise public.
However, the ministry said that some of the preachers failed to comply with the directives to highlight the religious view against extremism and to mobilise the public against all forms of terrorism and fanaticism. An investigation was launched into the case of the non-complying religious figures.
Initial reports said that the probe included 17 preachers, all in mosques in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but the ministry later said that around 100 imams ignored the terrorist attack and the threat of terrorism to the nation’s stability, local daily Al Watan said on Friday.
The ministry has reportedly monitored all the sermons to ensure that acts of terrorism are condemned and criminalised by the preachers whose religious stature adds value to the arguments against terrorism.
“The response of the religious men was overwhelmingly positive throughout the kingdom,” the ministry undersecretary Tawfiq Al Sidiri, said. “In their sermons, they criminalised the attacks and highlighted the real objectives of the terrorists.”
Muslim adults are required to congregate on Friday at mosques for prayers and for the sermon by imams.
The interior ministry last week said that six militants attacked the Wadia border post with Yemen in the south of the Kingdom on July 4, killing five security officers on both sides.
Five of the gunmen were killed in the confrontation with security forces, including two who blew themselves up inside a building, while a sixth was wounded and arrested.
The ministry named the terrorists and said they were all wanted Saudis who were identified through DNA tests.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ministry said that four of the terrorists had spent time in jail.
