Saudis to retrain 40,000 clerics

[bamalli]

Saudis to retrain 40,000 clerics

Saudi Arabia is to retrain its 40,000 prayer leaders - also known as imams -
in an effort to counter militant Islam.

Details of the plan were revealed in the influential Saudi newspaper Al-
Sharq al-Awsat.

The plan is part of a wider programme launched by the Saudi monarch a few
years ago to encourage moderation and tolerance in Saudi society.

The ministry of religious affairs and new centre for national dialogue will
carry out the training, the paper said.

The centre was created five years ago to disseminate a moderate
interpretation of Islamic tradition.

There is growing awareness in Saudi society that security measures alone are
not enough to counter the threat of Islamic militancy.