From the Caught Red-Handed Department, one from Saudi Sheikh 'Aed Al-Qarni, via [1] MEMRI, with thanks to Nicolei:

In the February 7, 2005 interview on Saudi TV, Al-Qarni said: "The first ones to kill and use terrorism in the world were the Jews. Let me quote Henry Manjiro [ sic ] in his book on the history of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln... who freed their slaves, was killed in an act of terror. Kennedy was killed in an act of terror. And the list goes on. They began to act this way 200 years before us. Why don't they go back to their history? The terror attack on the building in Oklahoma was an American act of terror, as you know. The blowing up of the buildings in Washington, opposite the Pentagon, was an American terror attack [sic].

"There are world Zionist circles that want to create illegitimate constitutions for us. According to these constitutions, the killing of Palestinian and Iraqi civilians is permitted or not controversial. However, when one of them [i.e. the Zionists] is targeted in revenge, this is considered terror, and the entire world has to denounce it. It is as if killing them [i.e. the Zionists] is forbidden, while the lives of Muslims are fair game. We reject this unjust distinction. We object to any illegitimate fighting...

"But we won't accept the Zionist rule, or that of the White House - which is, in fact, a Black House. We say we have a religion, and we want to make the world understand this religion. We must rely on the divine source of authority in this matter, and not on what people understand, or on the declaration that 'Whoever is not with us is against us.' Whoever is not with Allah, His people, and His Messenger, is against goodness, virtue and truth."

Sure. Goodness, virtue, and truth. And if you don't believe that he is good and you are wicked, those who think like him will lob a bomb at you.

But anyway, after MEMRI shed light on his words, he started backpedaling:

Al-Qarni's Retraction: "We Must Protect Them in Our Countries as We Protect Ourselves"

In response to the publication of his statements in the MEMRI report and the ensuing criticism of Saudi Arabia, Al-Qarni told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on February 26, 2005, that he had included no calls for violence or for harming Jews in his sermons. He added that his condemnation had been directed toward the Zionist entity in Israel, which fights Muslims and harms Palestinians in their own land.

Nonetheless, he noted: "The Jews and the Christians have the right to conduct trade in Muslim countries and to coexist [with Muslims]." To back this up, Al-Qarni quoted from the Koran [60:8]: "Allah forbids you not, regarding those who do not fight you for [your] faith and do not drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just." He added: "We must protect them in our countries as we protect ourselves."

Ah, yes, the "protection treaty": dhimmitude. How magnanimous!

Al-Qarni denied having said that the Jews were the first to act with violence, stating that they were not, and that other nations preceded them in the use of violence. He said that these accusations were only a few of thousands against Muslims of various ethnicities, and that underlying these claims was a Zionist campaign aimed at distorting the image of Islam.

So the only part of the statement that he retracted was that part about the Jews being the first to use violence, and in doing so, he threw in more nonsense about a Zionist plot. Nice fellow.

Editor in Chief of Saudi News: We Need to Create an Organization to Counter MEMRI

Dr. Goebbels, call your office.