As a resident of the Al-Hamra compound targeted by the terrorists in the devastating attacks in Riyadh last week, I saw it happening before my eyes. For the first time in my life I realized what the word “terrorism” really means. It wasn’t anything like what we hear in theories and hypotheses floating around or on television programs and comments. It was something beyond human comprehension. On that day I lost a number of good friends and neighbors, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, with whom I had shared moments of joy and sorrow.
On that day I saw the flesh of innocent people who had been killed as they slept. I saw bullets flying indiscriminately killing Muslims and non-Muslims. I heard the cries and moaning of the injured whose only fault was that they happened to be there at that particular moment. I saw the door and windows of my own house being blown away and glass flying everywhere. I was injured but I must thank and praise God for whatever comes from Him.
I saw the burned bodies of two small children still hugging each other. I saw buildings collapse, fires raging and people dying.
On that day I realized how weak and helpless I am against fate. Muhammad, a young Saudi who was loved by everyone in the compound, lost his life. On that day the ceiling collapsed on an American Muslim who, despite repeated warnings from his family and government, decided to return to Saudi Arabia because he loved the country and its people. On that day Saleh, whose wife had just had twins, died and will never see his children grow up. Nor will they know the love of a father. I forgot my own injuries and raced to help the paramedics and rescuers remove charred and badly burned bodies from the rubble.
On that day I realized we do need to improve our performance when faced with disaster. Security forces and ambulances did not arrive as quickly as they should have. A very long time passed from the attack itself until help arrived. If there was an excuse for this failure, I would say we are simply not used to dealing with such a situation — and I pray to God that we shall never grow used to dealing with them.
On that night I realized our need to wake up from a long sleep and confront the causes and conditions that allowed such a terrible thing to happen. This is vitally necessary in order for neither people nor government to become hostage to one group or a set of ideas that wants to confine an entire population to the narrowest kind of thought. With the first light of day after a sleepless night, the magnitude of the calamity became evident to me. Wherever I looked there was devastation. I was thrown into deep reflective thought. Are the individuals who carried out these heinous attacks really Muslims? Has our country become a haven for terror and terrorism as claimed by many outside? Are we incapable of taking both correct and effective measures to change our education system, social culture and one-sided views — all reasons behind the wave of terror sweeping the Muslim world?
We must all back Crown Prince Abdullah who strongly condemned the attacks and pledged to punish those behind it. We must all struggle to guarantee the welfare of our country and stand firmly by the Crown Prince so that together we fight and put an end to the results of these deviant intolerant unilateral thoughts. It is time for the silent majority to act.
Arab News From the Local Press 18 May 2003
