Mina: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has called for concerted international efforts to fight and defeat terrorism which has nothing to do with Islam. He described terrorism as a “rotten element†that must be amputated. Â
“Terrorism is neither attached to Islam nor to all other heavenly religions. It is a rotten element, which has no remedy to it except amputation,” the King said in an address to Haj pilgrims which was read out by Crown Prince Salman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence.
“Extremism, which has generated terrorism, behoves us to combine our efforts to fight it and defeat it because it has nothing to do with Islam,” he said.
In his keynote address, King Abdullah also emphasised on Islamic teachings and values that urge Muslims to live in peace with other sects.
Saudi Arabia and four other Arab countries – Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE – have joined a US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) militant group, which has made rapid territorial gains in Iraq and Syria and executed four foreigners which have been condemned by Muslims worldwide.
The 90-year-old King said on Sunday that the kingdom “will continue its efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism. We shall not rest till we eradicate them along with the misguided sect that has used the Islamic religion as bridge to achieve its personal interests, and unlawfully stigmatizes the beauty of Islam with their misleading thought.”
Saudi Arabia declared the IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, a terrorist organisation in March and stepped up denunciations of the group.
Last week, Saudi jets pounded militant targets in Syria.Â