His name is Osama Al-Mutairi and he is a young man of 25. By killing an American and injuring another at a traffic light, he has given all of Kuwait an enormous shock. Unlike many people who have done such things, he confessed immediately and admitted that he was carrying out the orders of the leader of Al-Qaeda.
But who is this young man? Well, he is no different from a number of others arrested on similar charges around the world. Like all of them, he too belongs either emotionally or personally to the infamous Al-Qaeda.
Some three years ago, Osama was previously arrested in Kuwait on entirely different charges — he was accused of causing offense to the Prophet and to Islam. Yet here he is today — arrested on charges of killing Americans in defense of Islam. How can such a behavioral jump — from extremist activities against Islam to extremism in its defense — be logically explained?
As for his behavior, what is even stranger is that he works in a drug rehabilitation center. And in his office, the police found ammunition. What kind of caregiver or rehabilitator can he be?
Kuwait’s society is shaken and it is a society very different from the traditional Arab one with a history of vengeance toward colonizers — Egypt — or one with dislike of the Americans — Palestine and Syria where lands are still occupied and which have been fed a diet of hatred and enmity. Kuwait is different from all other Arab countries because it is the only one that owes America its very existence and safety. It is the one Arab state most in need of American protection since it remains at risk due to its geographic location and oil wealth.
Osama is an extremist in his enmity toward Islam and toward his hatred of Americans — the product of a society torn by conflicting extremist views. Politicians must realize that there is a crisis of moderation in the area. These conflicting trends have no respect for customs and do not accept the need to work through political channels. They are created by ignorance built on imported answers and a broken culture that has seeped into the society of teachers, universities and seminars all of which follow the same road, filled with myths and assumptions.
Before visiting Kuwait, I was in Abu Dhabi where I participated in a seminar arranged by an Emirati newspaper and which dealt with the challenges facing the press. My view was that the greatest challenge is lack of qualified teachers who consequently become poor role models. Another participant in the seminar suggested that the intrusion of the foreign press is an infiltration into the Arab mind. I answered that to try and block the reader in and isolate him from any other culture is to disparage him and contribute to his ongoing lack of awareness and ignorance. Open the windows of peoples’ minds so that they may hear and learn — not only about their own culture but also through discussions with others, their knowledge will increase. It is without question what is currently being written and broadcast in the region that is responsible for making Osama what he is.
Arab News Opinion 27 January 2003
