Brussels, (IINA) - The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Brussels has said that the Kingdom's commitment to combatting terrorism and radicalization is all too often unacknowledged.
"Saudi Arabia does not fund, support, or excuse any radical institution in Belgium, Europe, or anywhere. In fact, the Kingdom is recognized as a pioneer in addressing the problem of radicalization and terrorism at its root," Saudi Ambassador to the EU and Belgium Abdulrahman Al-Ahmed said in a statement Wednesday.
The Saudi reaction came in response to recent publications in the Belgian press that the Saudi-funded Islamic Center in Brussels is spreading extremist views in the country.
The director of the Center was recently invited by a Belgian parliamentary committee to testify in investigations on terrorist attacks in Brussels last year.
"Falsehoods linking Saudi Arabia and its values to extremism cannot be allowed to circulate unchallenged. Extremist thought and acts of senseless violence are diametrically opposed to what the Kingdom stands for. To tar Saudi Arabia with the same brush as Daesh/ISIS is lax," noted the statement.
It went on to say that, Saudi Arabia is the birthplace and home of Islam; the Kingdom's culture, society, and justice are closely tied to Islamic values of peace and tolerance. To commit a terrorist act is therefore deeply un-Islamic and, by extension, profoundly un-Saudi.
"The Kingdom's rejection of all forms of terrorism is not merely empty words but also reflected in its actions. Most notable among these is Saudi Arabia's leadership in the Islamic Alliance against Terrorism," it said.
"ISIS and what they're doing is not Islam. Islam does not justify the killing of innocent people. Islam does not justify violence and does not justify hate. Islam is a religion of moderation, tolerance, love, and mercy. What these criminals are doing has nothing to do with Islam," it stressed.
The statement concluded that Saudi Arabia would continue to support national and international authorities to help eradicate the terrorist scourge and its supporters from our societies.
Source: International Islamic News Agency