Saudi top cleric blasts Qaeda, IS as \\\'enemy No 1\\\' of Islam

Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh on Tuesday blasted Al-Qaeda and Islamic State jihadists as ‘enemy number one’ of Islam, in a statement issued in Riyadh. ‘The ideas of extremism, radicalism and terrorism... have nothing to do with Islam and (their proponents) are the enemy number one of Islam,’ the kingdom's top cleric said. He cited jihadists from the Islamic State, which has declared a ‘caliphate’ straddling large parts of Iraq and Syria, and the global Al-Qaeda terror network. ‘Muslims are the main victims of this extremism, as shown by crimes committed by the so-called Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and groups linked to them,’ the mufti said, quoting a verse in the Koran urging the ‘killing’ of people who do deeds harmful to Islam. His stance reflects the Saudi clerical community's hostility towards IS jihadists, known for their brutality. The largely Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia favours an austere form of Islam. The two holiest places of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are both in Saudi Arabia, according to AFP.