Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti says Iranians are “not Muslims”

The question this leads to is this: is anyone at all a Muslim? Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh says the Iranians, and by implication Shi’ites in general, are not Muslims. Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, says the Saudi rulers are “blasphemous” and “faithless.” The Islamic State and al-Qaeda and other jihad groups say that Muslim leaders who don’t rule by Sharia, and those whom they consider hypocrites (including the Saudis), and those who obey them are not Muslims, and that Muslims who say Islam is a religion of peace and that Islam is compatible with Western secular government are not Muslims. Barack Obama, John Kerry, Pope Francis and other non-Muslim leaders, along with Muslim leaders and groups in the West, say that the Islamic State and al-Qaeda and other jihad groups are not Muslims. Ahmadis say that those who Muslims who preach and live violent jihad are not Muslims, while most other Muslims say the Ahmadis are not Muslims.

The takfir is flying thick and fast. Are there any Muslims left? Is anyone a Muslim at all? And anyway, how convenient: any Muslim who behaves in a way some other Muslim dislikes is simply not a Muslim. Problem solved. No need to explain to the foolish kuffar how the misunderstanding of Islam arose in the first place, particularly when that misunderstanding involves AK-47s and IEDs.

“Saudi Arabia’s top cleric says Iranians are ‘not Muslims,’” BBC, September 6, 2016:

Saudi Arabia’s top cleric has said Iranians are “not Muslims”, a day after Iran’s supreme leader denounced its management of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, the grand mufti, said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s accusations were “not surprising”.

“They are the sons of the Magi,” he said, referring to Zoroastrianism, a religion that once dominated Iran.

Deep suspicions exist between predominantly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and its mainly Shia Muslim neighbour.

On Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei accused Saudis of “murdering” pilgrims caught up in a stampede at last year’s Hajj.

“The heartless and murderous Saudis locked up the injured with the dead in containers – instead of providing medical treatment and helping them or at least quenching their thirst,” he said, without providing evidence. “They murdered them.”

“The world of Islam, including Muslim governments and peoples, must familiarize themselves with the Saudi rulers and correctly understand their blasphemous, faithless, dependent and materialistic nature. They must not let those rulers escape responsibility for the crimes they have caused throughout the world of Islam,” he added.

The ayatollah made the allegation on the anniversary of the stampede, which killed at least 2,426 people, including 464 Iranians, according to an unofficial count.

The Saudi authorities, who say 769 died, have made few details of their investigation into the stampede public but previously rejected criticism.

Sheikh Al Sheikh was dismissive when asked by the Mecca newspaper about Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments.

“We must understand these are not Muslims,” he was quoted as saying. “They are the son of the Magi and their hostility towards Muslims is an old one, especially with the People of the Tradition [Sunnis].”…

Source: Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti says Iranians are “not Muslims”