Friday Prayer Leader of Qatif, Saudi Arabia:

Brainwashing of youth greatest threat to Islamic countries

Rasa – The Friday prayer of Qatif, Saudi Arabia has strongly criticized the performance of some so-called Islamic organizations, saying that these organizations are brainwashing the youth and encourage them to commit acts of terrorism.

News ID: 3909

Date: 06 February 2016 - 20:08

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in Qatif’s al-Risalah Mosque, Hujjat al-Islam Hasan al-Saffar explained that the recent wave of bombings of Shi’a mosques in the region are a result of a campaign to brainwash the youth in order to destroy religious values, adding: “The acceptance of religious distortion and exploitation of this distortion by some organizations in order to achieve their goals considered as one of the greatest threats to religious communities.”

The Saudi Shi’a scholar added that there is a calculated move to attribute the bombing of mosques, the targeting of worshipers and the slaughtering innocents to the religion of Islam itself in order to destroy the religious values and principles of the religion and associate Islam, which is a religion of justice and compassion, as a symbol of violence, terrorism and a religion which violates religious sanctities.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Saffar strongly condemned last weeks’ terrorist attack on worshippers performing Friday prayers at the Imam al-Ridha Mosque in the eastern Saudi town of Mahasen, which led to the martyrdom of four worshipers.

He also strongly condemned the murder of two police officers in Sayhat, saying that such an action was unacceptable.

Qatif’s Friday prayer leader attributed the wave of terrorist acts to the speeches of some extremist Wahhabi preachers who brainwash and inspire the youth to join terrorist groups, saying: “Some preachers rob the youth of reason then throw them into the furnace of terrorism.”

Hujjat al-Islam al-Saffar stressed that Muslims must adhere to religious teachings and added that genuine Islamic thought must be strengthened in the minds of Muslims to prevent them from affected by extremist propaganda.

In conclusion, the Saudi scholar said that Islamic religious teachings urge society to take full responsibility in preventing the deviation of religious institutions when it is found that officials are moving away from religious values.

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