i'll see if I can find some quotes
"There is a very big difference between terrorists
and those who defend their land. We are in solidarity with the
Palestinian people because they are right."
Sheik Muhammad Sayed Tantawi (head al azhar )
Israeli citizens are "forces of occupation." Therefore "martyrdom
operations ... (are the) highest form of jihad operations. Suicide
attacks are "an Islamic commandment until the people of Palestine
regain their land and cause the cruel Israeli aggression to retreat."
-- Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, the head of Al Azhar
University in Egypt, April 4, 2002
Al Azhar is in egypt, but it's so prestigious, all muslims look to it. (i'm not sure about shia. But sunni certainly).
teachings in various mosques in saudi arabia (saudi arabia is of course the heart, the spiritual center of islam)
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Area=sr&ID=SR01002Regarding another HUGE religious authority.
for saudi arabia. the muslim heartland
There was this famous story.. about the Pokemon. But look at the sheikh behind it!
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh , the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia
"
Riyadh - Saudi Arabia's mufti, the highest religious authority in the conservative Muslim state, has banned the popular children's game of Pokemon for being too much like gambling and suspiciously Jewish, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
In a fatwa, or religious edict, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh urged "all Muslims to beware of this game and prevent their children from playing it so as to protect their religion and manners," the newspaper said.
"
Those would basically be the 2 biggest muslims.
I don't know if Sheikh Abdullah is still the grand mufti, but if he isn't, I guarantee that he didn't lose his job over what he said! I'm sure it got no criticism at all in saudi arabia, only praise.