Gulf | Yemen
Mosque leaders warned against preaching extremism
The new Yemeni minister of endowment and guidance has warned mosque preachers against exploiting mosques for partisan, sectarian or tribal purposes, sources attending a meeting between the two sides said.
- By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 May 4, 2007
Sanaa: The new Yemeni minister of endowment and guidance has warned mosque preachers against exploiting mosques for partisan, sectarian or tribal purposes, sources attending a meeting between the two sides said.
During the meeting which brought together the new minister Hamoud Al Hetar and all other officials at the ministry late this week, Al Hetar threatened to replace the mosque leaders who adopt extremism and fanaticism in their speeches.
Penalised
"Any mosque leader who adopts fanaticism or extremism will be replaced. We want to make the message of the mosque a message of enlightenment, we want to keep the mosque away from any partisan, sectarian or tribal conflicts, because the mosque is a public place, so it should be kept away from such narrow conflicts," Al Hetar was quoted as telling the officials.
His statement came as a response to one of the demands raised by Al Houthi rebels, who have been battling government troops in Saada for about four months, to replace the 'Al Wahabi, Salafi' mosque leaders in Saada with ones loyal to Shiite cleric Al Houthi. They had accused the government of supporting Salafi mosque leaders to dominate over Saada province.
Shortly after his appointment as Minister of Endowments within the new cabinet last month, Al Hetar had announced a two-year plan for combating religious extremism, be it Sunni extremism or Shiite extremism.
At the meeting he said the mosque leaders must be at the highest level of their responsibility.
"We in this ministry should be at the service of the mosques and this is the best thing to be done. We have the honour to do it, and it is a sublime message of Islam to guide people to their religion and their interests in this life and the life hereafter," he added.
Al Hetar urged the officials at his ministry to be good examples for others in spreading culture of tolerance, coexistence and rejecting all kinds of fanaticism and extremism.
He pointed out that his ministry's job is not only to levy money as endowments but it has also to guide the people to the right path. He also instructed the officials to perform their duty to contribute effectively to combating corruption and the corrupt whoever they are.
"Our top priority over the coming stage will be the implementation of the strategy and this will be according to the election programme of the President Ali Abdullah Saleh and in the framework of a national strategy which includes education, culture, youth, media and guidance on the basis of the Quran and Sunna, constitution and laws in effect," he said.
"The objective we want to achieve is to create moderation, tolerance, co-existence and deepening national unity and loyalty," the minister said.
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