Local Editor

Saudi Arabia: Dammam attack

The Saudi Arabia received on Friday and Saturday letters of solidarity from various international and regional bodies, condemning the terrorist attack around Al-Anoud Mosque in Dammam.

In Egypt, Al Azhar Imam Ahmad el Tayyeb condemned on Friday the suicide attack outside the Dammam mosque, asserting the need to respect the brotherhood of Islam.

"Bloodshed is forbidden and houses of worship should be distanced from conflicts," Tayyeb said in a statement, stressing the importance of not being dragged into sectarian rifts.
Al-Tayeb stressed the need to give priority to reason and wisdom, and not to be deceived by schemes seeking to ignite sectarian strife.

The Board of Senior Ulema on Friday also condemned the suicide attack near Al-Anoud Mosque in Dammam, stating that the " terrorist groups behind the ghastly attack on Al-Anoud Mosque and Al-Qudaih's Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque have exposed their hideous faces."
In a statement issued on Friday and carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the board said: "Islam forbids attacking places of worship even in legitimate wars. How can one target mosques in a Muslim society and a country that rules by the Shariah and serves the Two Holy Mosques?”

The statement also called for unity to "root out the menace of terrorism from our society."
A suicide bomber - disguised in women’s clothing - blew himself up in the parking lot of a Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia's Eastern city of Dammam.

A member of the Popular Committees (PC) - formed of residents and are charged of defending the mosque - suspected the terrorist and informed the Saudi security forces deployed there, yet he didn't receive an answer. Then, he immediately rushed to catch the bomber who was hurry to detonate himself several meters away from the place, killing four people including himself.

The blast also set several cars ablaze.

The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemned the attack, and stressed the need for taking all necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

"We stress the need for taking all measures to prevent such incidents and to seriously confront all those who have targeted the regional security and stability and intend to stir the religious differences,' Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Friday night.

For his part, Head of The Union of Tribes and Clans in Arab States, Ma'an al-Jarba, strongly condemned the twin terrorist attacks in on Al-Anoud and Al-Qudaih's Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosques.

In a statement issued on Friday, Jarba reiterated warns of playing with the flame of sectarian sedition, and spreading hatred among religions and sects, and eliminating the human values.

"All this will pave the way for the enemies of Islamic Ummah, and will disperse its unity, calling for facing the takfiri terrorist expansion through rejecting the Wahhabi ideology and that of Ibn Taimiya.

Moreover, the Head of Arab Parliament, Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan, condemned the criminal attempt to target the Dammam mosque, and said in a statement: "Terrorists seek to destabilize the Arab and Islamic nations’ security... Terrorism will never succeed in destabilizing national security."

Also, Head of Al-Ashraf Syndicate Mahmoud el Sharif and Chief of the Supreme Council of the Sufi Orders Abdel Hadi el Qasabi condemned the terror attack.