Daily Archives: January 3, 2005

Saudi Cleric Blames Christmas for Tsunami

Saudi Cleric Muhammed Al-Munajjid in an interview blamed the tsunami on Christmas.

Memri has an excerpt of an interview with him (with video clip #452 [no permalink to video]):

Al-Munajjid: The problem is that the (Christian) holidays are accompanied by forbidden things, by immorality, abomination, adultery, alcohol, drunken dancing, and… and revelry. A belly dancer costs 2500 pounds a minute and a singer costs 50,000 pounds an hour, and they hop from one hotel to another from night to dawn. Then he spends the entire night defying Allah.

Haven’t they learned the lesson from what Allah wreaked upon the coast of Asia, during the celebration of these forbidden? At the height of immorality, Allah took vengeance on these criminals.

Those celebrating spent what they call “New Year’s Eve” in vacation resorts, pubs, and hotels. Allah struck them with an earthquake. He finished off the Richter scale. All nine levels gone.

Tens of thousands dead. It was said that they were tourists on New Year’s vacation who went to the crowded coral islands for the holiday period, and then they were struck by this earthquake, caused by the Almighty Lord of the worlds. He showed them His wrath and His strength. He showed them His vengeance. Is there anyone learning the lesson? Is it impossible that we will be struck like them? Why do we go their way? Why do we want to be like them, with their holidays, their forbidden things, and their heresy?

Why would this “punishment” be given to all the children who lost parents and all the parents who lost children? The people who lost everything they owned? The people who have to worry that they might starve or be stricken by disease after surviving the tsunami? All those who aren’t Christian (many more than are in that part of the world)? Why indeed would God “punish” those celebrating the birth of His Son?

And if the tourists were celebrating New Year’s Eve why “strike” on Christmas – 6 days before?

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