Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority urged Muslims on Thursday to shun extremism and avoid waging unjustified jihad (holy struggle) as the kingdom cracks down on Islamist militants believed linked to al Qaeda.
In a lengthy statement carried on the official Saudi Press Agency, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh told Saudis to listen to their religious authorities and ignore fanatic interpretations of Islam or risk "banning God's bounty."
"One of the fall-outs from extremism in understanding Islam is that some people call for jihad for the sake of God without justification," Sheikh Abdul-Aziz said.
Saudi Arabia's powerful religious establishment has been accused in the West of breeding militancy and hatred toward Christians and Jews. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the teachings of its clerics are obeyed by many Muslims.
The Saudi authorities, trying to quash fundamentalism at home and improve their image abroad, have recently dismissed 700 clerics and banned some 1,500 others from preaching in mosques for inciting dissent.
Senior clerics have also taken to the media to preach moderation among Saudis.
"These people want to raise the banner of jihad to draw the youth into their ranks and not to fight for God," Sheikh Abdul-Aziz said.
"Muslim youth must try and better themselves and their country but not through violence as Islam is not a violent religion, it is a merciful religion."
Militants such as Saudi-born al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden have often called for jihad against "infidel" countries such as the United States, urging his followers to target Western interests in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Other militants in the conservative kingdom and the Middle East have also used Islam as a rallying cry, justifying attacks by saying they are doing God's will.
Some Saudi militants, including bin Laden, have deemed the kingdom's rulers infidels because of their ties to the West.
The United States blames al Qaeda for the September 11, 2001 attacks and the group is also thought to be responsible for triple suicide bomb attacks in Riyadh in May which killed 35 people, including nine Americans.
Last week, leading Saudi clerics issued a fatwa or edict condemning terrorism and saying it had nothing to do with Islam.
Saudi Arabia has come under intense U.S. pressure to clamp down on Muslim militants since September 11. Fifteen of the 19 suicide hijackers involved in these attacks were Saudis.
The Saudi campaign intensified after the May bombings, which were followed by several bloody clashes between police and militants. The Saudi authorities say they have arrested some 240 people since these attacks.