by Clifford F. Thies

The top religious council of Saudi Arabia has recently issued a ruling on terrorism that is said to break new ground on the matter of financing terrorism, condeming it as well as terrorism itself. This may be true. Mostly, the ruling reflects traditional Islamic teaching on just war. Most importantly, that it says terrorist acts against civilian populations are wrong, and that care must be taken to minimize loss of innocent blood or property damage even in the conduct of a just war.

From Washington Post, David Ignatius, via RCP "Saudi Muslim Religious Council Condemns Terrorism" June 13:

Terrorism has damaged the Islamic world far more than the West, and too many Muslims have been cowed and silent. But a powerful and so far largely unreported denunciation of terrorism emerged last month from Saudi Arabia's top religious leadership, known as the "Council of Senior Ulema."

The Saudi fatwa is a tough condemnation of terror, and of the underground network that finances it. It has impressed senior U.S. military commanders and intelligence officers, who were initially surprised when it came out. One sent me a translation of the fatwa, and Saudi officials provided some helpful background.

"There is no gray area here," said a senior Saudi official. "Once it has come out like this, from the most senior religious body in the kingdom, it's hard for a lesser religious authority to justify violence."

The ruling reflects and will strengthen the shift of popular opinion among the Muslims of the world, as reflected by public opinion polls, on matters such as suicide bombing. It also reflects the shifting geopolitics of the region, with the emergence of an increasingly belligerent Iran, its nuclear ambiions, and its support of radical Muslims intent on destabilizing the governments of the region.
The radicals have their own, twisted version of Islam, based on certain texts of the Koran, while ignoring others, according to a weird method of resolving apparent contradictions. In contrast, the most respected scholars employ a wholistic approach to interpretation, appreciate the role of allegory in Semitic expression, and consider knowledge obtained through reason as well as through revelation.

Dr. Thies is a professor of economics at Shenandoah Univ. in Virginia