Jumping on the bandwagon. While the Saudi king plays “diplomat,” the Saudi sheikhs command Muslims “to strike anything that has a link to Israel, calling it a legitimate target for Muslims everywhere.”
“Saudi cleric issues fatwa urging Muslims to avenge Gaza raids,” from the Haaretz News, December 28:
A Saudi Web site on Sunday reported that a popular cleric has issued a fatwa urging Muslims to target Israeli interests everywhere, to avenge the attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The site, Rasid, posts news about Saudi Arabia’s Shiite community and on Sunday said that Sheik Awadh al-Garni has issued a religious edict urging Muslims to strike anything that has a link to Israel, calling it a legitimate target for Muslims everywhere.
Al-Garni, whose [sic] is popular in the kingdom, is not a member of the official religious establishment.
Fatwas are not legally binding, and it is up to the individual Muslim to follow them…
These last two sentences say it all. For if fatwas are not “legally binding,” it matters little whether Al-Garni is a member of the “official establishment” or not. Similarly, that he is “popular in the kingdom” indicates that many Saudis will take his decree quite seriously.