RIYADH, 26 September 2005 — There is nothing sadder than seeing a parent lose his child, a creature of his own flesh and blood. But to see a parent lose two children who are both on the Kingdom’s list of most wanted terrorists is indeed a tragedy. This is the case with Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailmi, a 57-year-old man living in Riyadh’s Al-Naseem district. His story is one of loss, hope and faith.
Abdul Rahman is the father of two sons and a daughter. His son, Ahmad, was on the Kingdom’s most wanted terrorist list before being killed last month by security forces in Dammam. His other son, Muhammad, also on the most wanted list, remains at large. Abdul Rahman’s sad voice tells many tales. Both of his sons, he says, were ordinary young men — they went to college and spent their time as many other young Saudi men do: Camping in the desert, playing football and watching TV.
Muhammad, who is 23, disappeared last year. His father looked everywhere for him, even asking in hospitals and police stations. He failed to locate him and several months later, he learned that Muhammad was on the Interior Ministry’s most wanted list. His other son, Ahmed, aged 20, also disappeared last year a month after Muhammad did. When he left, he told his father he was going to Makkah for Umrah to thank God because he had completed his final university semester.
“Originally, I did not want him to go but I could not stop him from performing Umrah. He asked for gas money so he could drive there and also money for accommodation. A week later, I got an anonymous SMS text message saying that my son sent greetings and that he had gone to fight in Iraq. Later I learned he was on the government’s most wanted list,” Abdul Rahman explained.
Though both his sons are on the most wanted list, Abdul Rahman refuses to call them terrorists. “I do not agree that they should be branded ‘terrorists.’ They were brainwashed. They are victims of the ideology of takfeer (accusing Muslims of being non-Muslims).” He said the ideology which his sons apparently accepted is something alien to Saudi culture and the Saudi people. “Those who brainwashed my sons are targeting young people. They take advantage of their energy, enthusiasm and religious beliefs. The brainwashers convince them that what they are doing — or what they are going to do — will bring them closer to God and will earn His reward.”
With tears in his eyes, Abdul Rahman continued: “I never expected my sons would be on a list of wanted terrorists. Both of them acted normally. Both of them were ‘A’ students. I even remember Muhammad telling me a couple of days before he disappeared that he wanted to redecorate the room he shared with Ahmed with new furniture from IKEA. When Ahmed disappeared, I looked for him everywhere. When I learned that he had been killed in Dammam I went there and identified his body. May God take revenge on those who brainwashed him!” Abdul Rahman said he and his wife had been under immense emotional pressure since learning that their sons were wanted. “I have been hospitalized as I am diabetic and also have heart problems. I try to help my poor wife bear the shock and pain of what has happened. I sometimes feel she is near collapse. It is hard for anyone to lose one child and we have lost two.”
Asked how he had been treated by the people in his neighborhood, Abdul Rahman said they had been sympathetic and understanding. “They comforted us. They told us not to feel guilty and blame ourselves. They told me I was a good father who had done his best to bring up his children in the right way and educate them. They also prayed with me that Muhammad would come to his senses and surrender.”
He said he would not forgive Muhammad unless he surrendered to the authorities. “I would prefer to see him surrender and not harm anyone rather than knowing he is alive and might become a ‘human bomb’.”
Abdul Rahman said he had not noticed any change in his sons before they disappeared. “I can tell you one thing, however. People who go down that path camouflage themselves so that their parents and friends suspect nothing.
“I taught all my children that Islam is a merciful religion. It is a religion of peace and harmony. And this is what I practice in my life. Even when a cat runs in front of my car, I stop and let it cross the road. I cannot bear the idea of my son hurting anyone — Muslim or non-Muslim. Our religion tells us that all mankind has dignity and must be respected.”
In a written statement given to Arab News, Abdul Rahman urges his son to surrender. “We are asking him to surrender. He knows that obedience to God in Islam is obedience to parents. If Muhammad really cares for his mother and me, I ask him to look at our lives since he left. I want him to turn himself in — for his own sake, for our sake and for the country’s sake.”
