Saudi cleric warns Muslims their religion is under attack

SAUDI Arabia’s top cleric warned more than two million pilgrims yesterday against enemies of Islam, saying Muslims cannot be defeated by military might as long as they remain steadfast in their faith.

Speaking before midday prayers at Namira mosque on Mount Arafat, Sheik Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheik said Islam was passing through a crucial phase, but he avoided directly specifying Islam's enemies or a possible US-led attack on Iraq.

"The enemy has exposed its fangs and is fighting our religion and is doing its best to drive Muslims away from their religion," al-Sheik told pilgrims in an emotional sermon as the annual Muslim pilgrimage, or Hajj, came to its highpoint.