Saudi Shi’ite clerics condemn Asir mosque bombing

Saudi Shi’ite scholars from al-Ahsa have condemned the bombing of a mosque in the Asir region.

A group of 21 Shi’ite clerics from the Saudi city of al-Ahsa in the country’s predominantly Shi’ite Eastern Province have issued a joint statement in condemnation of the bombing of a mosque by suspected Takfiri terrorists in the southern province of Asir, Saudi Arabia last Thursday.

According to Rasa, at least 15 people were killed and many others wounded after a bomb attack targeted a mosque inside a security centre in the provincial capital of Abha while worshipers were praying at the mosque. The Saudi Interior Ministry said on Thursday that the fatalities included 12 policemen and three workers.

The Takfiri ISIL terror group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

The statement said Islamic scholars should join hands to solve the root cause of the Takfiri phenomenon and added that fighting the Takfiri ideology in the Wahhabi-ruled kingdom is the first step in their agenda.

The Saudi clerics regretted the fact that some Sunni compatriots lost their lives in this incident, and said that there is no difference between Sunnis and Shi’ites in this incident and all the victims of this terrorist act were Saudi Arabian citizens and all Saudi citizens have condemned it.

“Creating sectarian and ethnic tensions in Islamic countries is the main tool of the enemy to provoke sedition,” the statement said.

The religious scholars based in al-Ahsa stated that the consideration of Saudi Shi’ites as apostates is considered an inexcusable act and stated that Shi’ites constitute a large percentage of the Saudi population and stated that all official facilities and organizations must acknowledge this issue.

At the end of their statement, the Shi’ite scholars requested the Saudi government agencies to take action to discover the Takfiri terrorists’ sources of financial support and weapons and to block these sources in order to prevent terrorist operations from occurring inside the kingdom.