The Saudi Arabian government has apparently openly blasted the Taliban as a disgrace to Islam and true Muslims. They added their belief that the Taliban has defamed the reputation of Muslims throughout the world by harboring criminals and terrorists. This is a major stepping stone for a country considered to be among the major centers of Islam/Islamic culture. For them to come out and distance Islam from the Taliban is huge. They don't seem to just condemn it, they outright blast it. Good job Saudi Arabia... hopefully more Islamic countries will follow suit and give Islamic culture a better name than it is currently receiving and a better name that it rightly deserves. The following article taken from CNet : http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7303582.html?tag=lh --------------------------------------------------- Saudis cut ties with Taliban By The Associated Press Special to CNET News.com September 25, 2001, 10:25 p.m. PT Saudi Arabia has given the representative of Afghanistan's Taliban two days to leave the kingdom, hours after it severed all ties with the regime, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi Arabia has repudiated its one-time ally in the harshest of terms, saying the Taliban brought dishonor to Islam and Muslims by persisting in providing a haven to terrorists. "The Foreign Ministry summoned the charge d'affaires of the Afghan Embassy, Molawi Muttiallah, and officially informed him of the kingdom's decision to cut all relations with the Taliban government and asked him to leave the kingdom in a period that does not exceed 48 hours," the official agency reported late Tuesday. Saudi Arabia said it acted only after the Taliban rejected all urgings "to stop harboring criminals and terrorists...and making its land a refuge and haven for them." By doing so, the Taliban was "defaming Islam and defaming Muslims' reputation in the world," the Saudi government said. Saudi Arabia is one of the most influential countries in the Islamic world. Its decision to sever official ties with the Taliban followed a similar action by the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. Pakistan is now the only nation to maintain formal diplomatic contacts with Afghanistan's strict Islamic regime. Saudi Arabia's move was the sharpest message yet from an Islamic nation to the Taliban, which has become increasingly isolated in the face of Washington's demand for Osama bin Laden's surrender. An exiled Saudi dissident based in Afghanistan, bin Laden is America's prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Saudi Arabia has insisted it would stand by the Afghan people themselves, and work for whatever would achieve security and prosperity for Afghans. About 200,000 Afghans live in Saudi Arabia, half of whom hold Pakistani citizenship. There was no immediate indication that Saudi Arabia's severing of diplomatic ties with the Taliban would be followed by a change of position on tactical support for U.S.-led offensives against terrorists. The Saudis have condemned the attacks, but have urged that the United Nations rather than the United States lead any alliance against terror. The government has expressed reservations about the use of the kingdom's air bases in any anti-terror campaign, fearing attacks could be launched against fellow Arab states. Bin Laden, the son of a prominent Saudi businessman, saw his Saudi citizenship stripped for his relentless criticism of Riyadh's ties with Washington. He objects strongly to the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, the site of two of Islam's holiest places, Mecca and Medina. After being exiled from Saudi Arabia, bin Laden sought refuge in Sudan, then moved to Afghanistan in 1996.
I have to give props to Saudi Arabia, or any country that closes its boundaries to those bastards...er Taliban... It helps the U.S. cause and I am glad that we are getting worldwide support. The Taliban represent all that is ignorant in this world. The thousands that have perished in the world trade center buildings will be avenged.
