SHEIKH ABDUL AZIZ AL-SHEIKH

Language differences and code words of different cultures are not always understood by other cultures. In this case the Sheikh wanted to condemn terrorism which was the official position of the Saudi Arabian government. However, Saudi Arabia, because it contains Mecca the Islamic Holy City, has a preeminent place in the Muslim world has a position of leadership which no other Islamic country has. While people in the West applauded the statement, it had little or no impact in the Muslim world. The reason is that the Arabic word he used for terrorism was a heinous one—a word which Islamic Terrorists (and most other Muslims) believe does not refer to their activities. Terrorism culturally means only acts of violence which are not morally justified. Not only do most Muslim terrorists perceive that they are Morally justified, but most have been given various fatwas (religious legal rulings) that says that their acts are required by God. For example, in a perversity of logic, Hamas—the Palestinian terrorist organization—sees Israeli acts like assassinating the suicide bomb engineers as terrorism while their behavior is a legitimate, moral struggle for national liberation. Few Islamic religious leaders speak out against terrorism, and those who do are often not understood to apply to Islamic terrorists.

Language differences and code words of different cultures are not always understood by other cultures. In this case the Sheikh wanted to condemn terrorism which was the official position of the Saudi Arabian government. However, Saudi Arabia, because it contains Mecca the Islamic Holy City, has a preeminent place in the Muslim world has a position of leadership which no other Islamic country has. While people in the West applauded the statement, it had little or no impact in the Muslim world. The reason is that the Arabic word he used for terrorism was a heinous one—a word which Islamic Terrorists (and most other Muslims) believe does not refer to their activities. Terrorism culturally means only acts of violence which are not morally justified. Not only do most Muslim terrorists perceive that they are Morally justified, but most have been given various fatwas (religious legal rulings) that says that their acts are required by God. For example, in a perversity of logic, Hamas—the Palestinian terrorist organization—sees Israeli acts like assassinating the suicide bomb engineers as terrorism while their behavior is a legitimate, moral struggle for national liberation. Few Islamic religious leaders speak out against terrorism, and those who do are often not understood to apply to Islamic terrorists.