25 November, 2005: Syria Friday Sermon

Damascus Syrian Arabic Republic radio in Arabic, official radio station of the Syrian Government, carries at 0948 GMT a live sermon from a mosque in Damascus.

Shaykh Engineer Husayn al-Tawil delivers the sermon. He defends the sanctity of Muslim blood, saying: "Among the principles of religion is that a Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim. He must not encroach on his blood, property, or honor." He recalls how Al-Ansar (partisans) of Medina harbored and supported al-muhajirin (emigrants) from Mecca led by the Prophet Muhammad against Qurayshi non-believers, especially in the "Battle of Al-Ahzab" or "Battle of the Trench" in the siege of Medina that took place in the month of Shawwal, as the current calendar Muslim Month, in the fifth year of the Hegira.

Turning to current affairs, the imam refers to "the lies fabricated by the hypocrite US and allied media," saying "they are no longer a secret to anyone, even the American people who lost confidence on everything said by the so-called neo-conservatives among their rulers. One example is that although the Americans admit that resistance is a rebellion and not terrorism, the hypocrite media persist in calling it terrorism to this day." "They are now using the same strange logic. They distort the facts in the report by Mehlis and his ilk," he says.

The imam praises President Bashar al-Asad for saving the "civilized, moral face" of the nation and says: "We must fully cooperate so as to reveal the truth without this cooperation affecting the bounds of our sovereignty and honor."

The imam devotes the second sermon to a prayer for the prophet and his four caliphs, family members, and companions.

The imam concludes with a prayer to God to support Islam and Muslims. He also prays for the president in his endeavors for the wellbeing of the country and people.