Saudi Cleric Criticizes Al Qaeda

The New York Sun reports on a letter from a prominent Saudi cleric condemning al Qaeda for the violence they have committed:

A prominent Saudi cleric once praised by Osama bin Laden has published an open letter condemning Al Qaeda’s violence.

In the long letter published on an Arabic Web site, Cleric Salman al-Awdah calls on Mr. bin Laden to end the killing of innocent Muslims and others in terrorist acts in Iraq and elsewhere around the world.

“How much blood has been spilt? How many innocent people, children, elderly, and women have been killed, dispersed, or evicted in the name of Al-Qa’ida?” the letter says. “My brother Usama Bin Ladin, the image of Islam today is not at its best.”

Muslim groups are often portrayed as being uniform in their support of violence but actually there is a variety of views. These include both clerics who do not support violence as well as those who support a more secular society.

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