‘Israel must withdraw from Arab land’: Saudi official

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel until it withdraws from occupied Arab land and makes committed steps toward a lasting two-state solution, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali also called Israeli policy “schizophrenic” and said it was jeopardising attempts to revive Middle East peace talks aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state. “Our position is well known. It is Israel that has to move seriously towards the peace process,” Nugali said.

Riyadh to Host Conference on Islam as Religion of Mercy

Riyadh: Riyadh will host a major international conference aimed at removing the misconceptions about Islam and its Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz issued an order Tuesday directing the Saudi Society for Sunnah [Tradition of the Prophet] and its Sciences to organise the International Conference on “Prophet of Mercy” on May 9 and 10 next year.

The conference will highlight the salient features of Islam as a religion of mercy and tolerance as well as its denunciation of all forms of extremism and terrorism.

Scholars want action against extremists

JEDDAH Saturday 28 June 2008: Reacting to the recent disclosure by the Interior Ministry that terrorist organizations were exploiting Haj and Umrah facilities to bring in foreign Al-Qaeda cadres into the Kingdom, several religious scholars have stressed the need to deal firmly with extremists.

New Website for Authentic Fatwas

Fatwa-Online Newsletter. The Presidency for Scientific Research and Religious Edicts (Dar Al-Ifta), the Riyadh-based organization comprising prominent Islamic scholars that issues fatwas, has set up a website for its religious rulings. The site provides quick access to the fatwas issued by Dar Al-Ifta, which is affiliated to the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh.

The site features fatwas issued by prominent Islamic scholars and has devoted a section for the fatwas of Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, the former mufti who died in 1999. Visitors to the new website will be able to ask questions on various topics and get replies from well-known scholars.