King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has ordered the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to work in accordance with the Board of Senior Ulema's recent edict criminalizing the financing of terrorism. In response to the order, a circular issued to judges across the Kingdom by SJC president Saleh Bin Humaid stated that the Board of Senior Ulema viewed the financing of terrorism as “one of the means and reasons for the survival and increase of terrorism”. “The Board ruled therefore that financing, or making attempts to finance terrorism, is prohibited and is a crime punishable by Shariah,” the circular said. “That includes persons who provide or raise money or participate in the activity in any way whatsoever. Anyone who knowingly perpetrates the crime is punishable by Shariah.” The circular concluded with a request for judges to make Shariah rulings on persons involved in financing terrorism based on the decision by the Board of Senior Ulema. The edict was issued on April 12 following an exceptional meeting of the Board of Senior Ulema in Riyadh to study the financing of terrorism in accordance with instructions from King Abdullah on March 23. The King issued public thanks last month to the Kingdom's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh, for issuing the edict criminalizing the financing of terrorism. In a letter to Aal Al-Sheikh, King Abdullah described financing terrorism as “corrupting and a threat to security, and a crime against lives, money and private and public property”.
