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Riyadh: Dr Abdullah Al Turki, secretary general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, emphasised that the religious institutions in the kingdom have no need to establish intellectual security departments on their own.
"The required thing for them is mapping out of programmes on promoting national culture and revision of curriculums with the objective of inculcating religious values in the minds of the younger generation," he said. "The educational programmes and precautionary measures being followed by the government of Saudi Arabia, are enough to fulfill these requirements."
Dr Turki made these comments while delivering a lecture on 'Intellectual security and cultural invasion,' at the Security Forces Officers Club here on Friday.
Drawing attention to the challenges posed by cultural invasion in the contemporary age, the MWL chief said that the sources of this invasion have multiplied and taken various forms. "This has reached a stage where there are even schools with separate curriculums for promoting these ideas that are being taught carefully and diligently," he said.
Deviation
Dr Al Turki denied rumours that there has been an overwhelming silent majority that is sympathetic to extremists who encourage youths to go to Iraq in the name of jihad. "The intellectual deviation of some people has led to deviant thoughts, such as branding as infidels, triggering explosions and disobeying rulers, that originally came from outside," he said.
The MWL secretary general denied reports that his organisation was mild in its reactions to Pope Benedict XVI's derogatory remarks about Islam and the Prophet (PBUH).
"The MWL strives to realise coordination with the Muslim community in lodging protest against the pope's comments," he said, while recalling that Saudi Arabia has called for an extraordinary Islamic summit to discuss the issue. "Among the major reasons for cultural invasion are the weakness and degradation of the Muslim Ummah as well as their following of colonialism," Dr Turki added.
Meanwhile, Dr Abdullah Al Laheedan, undersecretary in the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, told Gulf News that those preachers and imams whom the ministry deputed abroad should be proficient in the languages of those countries.
"Those Da'awa workers should have knowledge of the social and political situation of the country."
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