Saudi grand mufti slams IS militants, calls them soldiers of Israeli army

Terming militants of Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, ISIS and ISIL, as part of the Israeli army, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh on Monday said the newly formed 34-state Islamic military alliance will defeat the former.

Speaking to the Saudi media, Asheikh said that the members of the terrorist organisation were doing a great harm to Islam and Muslims.

“They cannot be considered as followers of Islam. Rather, they are an extension of Kharijites, who rose in revolt against the Islamic caliphate for the first time by labelling Muslims as infidels and permitting their bloodletting,” he was quoted as saying.

The statement comes days after IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi allegedly issued an audio recording, threatening to turn Palestine into a “graveyard” for Israelis, and urged an insurgency against Saudi Arabia rulers he called “apostates” perverting Islam.

Referring to his threat against Israel, the grand mufti said, “This threat against Israel is simply a lie. Actually, Daesh is part of the Israeli soldiers.”