Saudis Try Al Qaeda In Shariah Courts

A report from Reuters published today in Qatar's The Peninsula says that Saudi Arabia has begun trying Al Qaeda militants in Shariah courts in which Islamic scholars apply religious law. Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdul-Aziz told reporters, "There are Islamic Shariah courts that specialize in these issues. The trials are continuing and ongoing. There are many who have been sentenced and are finished with." Commenting on the militants who began a campaign in 2003 to bring down the royal family by bombing Western housing compounds, he said, "God will judge them harshly. There is no justification at all for attacking peaceful civilians. We are an Islamic country and it is totally unacceptable that their slogan should be Islam."