Riyadh, Rabi'I 27, 1437, Jan 7, 2016, SPA -- The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars called upon Muslims to provide urgent assistance and relief to the people in the devastated Syrian town of Madaya. Residents of the town have been under a stifling siege for the past six months by forces loyal to the Syrian terrorist regime, militias of Hezbollah, and their allies. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the General Secretariat stressed that this siege led to a horrifying famine and many deaths, particularly among children. The statement described the global silence as a shameful disgrace staining the international community and its humane and human rights institutions and organizations. The General Secretariat added that this unjust siege is nothing but a war of starvation, a heinous crime aiming at the extermination of the unarmed innocent civilians, most of whom are women and children. This crime is another addition to the crimes of the bankrupt regime and its allies who have, in light of the double standards of international politics, freely and with no deterrence practiced various repressive ways against the already blighted Syrian people. --SPA 19:35 LOCAL TIME 16:35 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w