RIYADH, Oct 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has accused the Western media of launching a smear campaign against his kingdom's policy on terrorism, according to Agence France Press (AFP).
"The fierce campaign against Saudi Arabia by the western media is a result of a hidden hatred against Islamic doctrine and the kingdom's commitment to it," Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who was quoted by the daily Saudi newspaper, the
Arab News.
"Preserving religion and the nation is an issue on which there can be no bargaining," he told a group of ministers and newspapers editors in a briefing Tuesday, news agencies reported.
The Saudi crown prince emphasized the need for a strong media and called upon Saudi writers and journalists to challenge criticism against Saudi Arabia and Islam.
"The ferocious campaign by the Western media against the Kingdom is only an expression of its hatred toward the Islamic system and the Kingdom's adherence to the Qur'an [Muslim holy book] and Sunnah [teachings of Prophet Muhammad]," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying.
"Islam is a religion of love, brotherhood, truthfulness, mercy and peace," added Crown Prince Abdullah. "It has nothing to do with falsifications and deviations because it is a clear and pure religion and the final divine message."
The Crown Prince underscored Riyadh's efforts to defend Arab and Islamic causes - especially the Palestinian issue - and to air the opinion of Arabs and Muslims in international forums.
"We have utilized our political and economic relations with big countries to achieve these goals."
The Saudi government, as well as most leading Islamic clerics in the kingdom, has strongly condemned the September 11 attacks in the United States and expressed readiness to contribute to the anti-terror campaign - but not to a war on Muslim Afghanistan.
The Bush Administration asserts that Saudi-born Osama bin Laden and his al-Qa'eda organization are responsible for the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C.
