Saudi clerics condemn violence
 |  Paul M. Johnson, an American employee of Lockeed Martin, has been missing since Saturday. |
| |
|  VIDEO |
 The son of an abducted American pleas for his dad.
 Saudi authorities search for a kidnapped American.
 Saudi Arabian militants claim responsibility for two attacks.
|
|
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Six influential clerics with past links to Islamist militants have condemned the recent wave of violence against Westerners in Saudi Arabia.
The statement by the clerics, some of whom were once close to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, comes as Saudi authorities scour the Riyadh area for a kidnapped U.S. citizen.
The Saudi government let the clerics issue their statement on the state news agency as part of the kingdom's efforts to discredit al Qaeda, which has stepped up its campaign to oust the ruling family.
"The bombings and killings have revolted people and hurt individuals and their property, and no one with the slightest knowledge of Islam can doubt that this is an atrocious crime and grave sin," Reuters quoted the clerics as saying.
Two of the clerics have been imprisoned for demanding reforms and criticizing the powers of the Saudi royal family, Reuters reported.
The clerics adopted the monarchy's description of attackers as "deviants," The Associated Press reported.
"We condemn the criminal acts committed by the deviant group in a number of Saudi areas in which many innocent people were killed," AP quoted the clerics as saying.
"The nation's theologians are in consensus that it is a sin to kill a life without a right, be it Muslim or non-Muslim," the statement said, adding that such acts would divide Muslims "at a time ... when other nations are uniting against them."
The clerics also urged Muslims not to refer to other Muslims as "infidels." Al Qaeda often refers to the United States and other Western countries as infidels and accuses the Saudi royals of being un-Islamic and allying itself with infidels.
The statement comes amid an escalation of violence in Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, American Kenneth Scroggs was killed in the Saudi capital Riyadh -- the third Westerner killed in attacks in the kingdom in a week.
A BBC cameraman was killed in a June 6 drive-by shooting, and Robert Jacobs, an American working for Vinnell/Arabia -- which has trained Saudi National Guard troops since 1975 -- was gunned down two days later at his Riyadh home.
Meanwhile, Saudi authorities are searching for Paul M. Johnson, an American employee of Lockheed Martin who has been missing since he was apparently kidnapped by Islamic militants on Saturday. (Full story)
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
