Crown Prince Abdullah has stated that terrorism will not be tolerated and that terrorists will be dealt with severely. Those who sympathize with them and provide justification for terrorist acts, according to the crown prince, will be considered accomplices and be punished accordingly. Now that we know from our own experience what terrorism can do, how are we going to monitor and counter the type of thinking that feeds it and seeks sympathizers?

Earlier I wrote some articles dealing with “social terrorism” at the Ministry of Education and said it prevented the ministry from doing its job, from developing its curriculums and educational programs and from monitoring the performance and conduct of teachers.

Following the publication of those articles I received a flood of hate mail; some even declared me an unbeliever (kafir) and others threatened my life. Some people, it seems, are not ready for any kind of dialogue, and some acted on hearsay without so much as reading the articles. One teacher, however, wrote to me saying he had conducted a survey among his intermediate school students, asking them what they were aiming for when, after finishing their education, they entered real life.

Some of the answers were very odd indeed. The most bizarre were the answers from three students who all said they wanted to be like Osama Bin Laden. Imagine students as young as these whose only aim in life is to be like Bin Laden! A campaign based on inaccuracies and brainwashing has targeted these young people — and it has taken place under our very noses within our schools, the heart and soul of our educational system.

This destructive process grows out of strong sentiments and statements which fuel hostility while targeting all those who do not agree with it. The picture which is presented to our children is a static one in which only one interpretation of religion is possible. Any other explanation, idea or opinion — no matter what it is based upon — is categorically dismissed.

I hope that our ulema and scholars will devote some of their time to going to schools and discussing these matters with our students. The students deserve, and must have, clear explanations of what is right and what is wrong. I join the teacher who said that this kind of deviant thinking is not the product of the school curriculum but rather of some teachers.

A local paper recently published the result of a poll in which half of all Saudis surveyed said they would not report suspects to the authorities. The question remains as to how the ideologies that feed terrorism and the people who sympathize with terrorism can be dealt with under such circumstances. The answer will provide a solid base from which the search for solutions can begin. Identifying and suppressing the tools used by terrorists and the channels through which they win sympathizers is more important than condemnation campaigns. Knowledge remains the most powerful and effective weapon to be used against these people and what they preach.

Arab News From the Local Press 27 May 2003