These are excerpts from an article published in ash-Sharq al-Awsat, authored by Judiciary Consultant, Shaikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Ubaykan.

There is no doubt that every Muslim, who is eagerly concerned about their religion and enthusiastic to (protect) the reputation of their nation, is delighted to hear about the decline of a deviant ideology that is attributed to Islam, when in reality it does nothing but smear (the religion's) true image.

A deviant Kharijite ideology that has declared the blood of the Muslims and innocent non-Muslims to be lawful game. It has relished in pronouncing Muslims to be infidels, and it has vigorously endeavored to destroy and bomb. (An ideology) that has stained the image of Islam and the Muslims, and it has caused many evils which cannot be enumerated and cannot be calculated by any one person.

This Kharijite ideology has produced many ills. From them: this malicious onslaught against the Muslims in general- emanating from many different angles, assaults upon the methods of teaching practiced in the Muslim lands, (it has been utilized) as a blockade upon the Book and the Sunnah, occupation of Muslim lands, and the captivation of innocent people due to mere speculation. All of this has resulted from this chaos and confusion, and from the war between (the lunatics) of al-Qaeda and certain countries.

Yes, the fact that this ideology has begun to vanish, it's symbolic figures are being humiliated and its leaders are falling brings joy to the heart. But sadly we see some of the Muslims continuing to show sympathy to al-Zarqawi or to whoever will replace him. Al-Zarqawi who adopted the wretched ideology of al-Qaeda, this is no more than the belief of the kharijites, takfiris. It has not brought any benefit to the Muslims whatsoever.

These sympathizers feign blindness to these barbaric, criminal acts, perpetrated by al-Zarqawi and his organization inside and outside of iraq, that oppose (the laws) of the religion and that cannot be fathomed by sound intellectual reasoning. It is visible to everyone with two eyes to see that Zarqawis actions are not only traceable to iraq but rather, they have spread to other places. This man has (monstrous) ambitions in many arenas. He has explicitly voiced his aspirations in both speech and action. An example of this is the bombings that occurred in Jordan which massacred those inviolable souls.

Islam is totally innocent of these ideologies and misguided acts. Even jihad in the path of Allah has stipulations and guidelines that have to be met.

The usage of the name of Islam and (a twisted) understanding of jihad to spread anarchy in the ranks of the Muslims, declare their blood and wealth to be lawful, cause disunity and division, weaken their position, empower their opponents against them and blemish the appearance of Islam in the most awful manner - acts such as slaughtering a human by slicing their jugular vein and then showing this to millions through the media outlets - has led to some people fleeing from Islam and detesting the Muslims, because of the activities of these weirdos that have nothing to do with Islam or the Muslims.

Source: Article originally appeared in ash-Sharq al-Awsat, translation from this source.