Trying to have any sort of debate with my fellow citizens is not only difficult, but at times quite impossible. The notion of constructive criticism, unfortunately, is non-existent. A differing view is taken to be a personal attack. So rather than share opposing views, the debate turns into personal attacks and suddenly you find yourself on the defensive, trying hopelessly to assure your attackers that you are faithful to Islam.
Even after the many terrorist attacks we have suffered, it baffles me to see so many people still reluctant to discuss, let alone acknowledge why teenage boys are blowing themselves up. We have a problem and it must be dealt with now. Simply locking up terrorists is not good enough. It is a short-term solution which will only rid us of the terrorists of today but not the terrorists of tomorrow.
At schools across the country students are being taught patriotism and to say, “No to Terrorism.” Again, this is not getting to the root of the problem. I don’t remember being taught any of this as a child, yet I never had and still have no intention of turning to terrorism. Perhaps, because I was educated in England.
Why must we resort to brainwashing our children for them to understand that killing innocent people is wrong? What our children need is the ability to think for themselves rather than accept what we tell them without question. This is what will prevent the recruitment of our young boys into terrorist activities. Let them think for themselves, because that is the only way to fight terrorism.
Why are we so scared that if our children are able to question, it means they will turn against us? What is the point in spending millions upon millions on our education system, when even university students are expected to regurgitate all knowledge and are penalized otherwise? Do we really need to have schools and universities to test the ability of the human mind to memorize?
Is it surprising that when mobile phones with cameras first came out they were abused? Of course not. How can you expect people to think and be responsible if all they are ever taught is to regurgitate.
Even if we lived in a world free from terrorism our schools would still be in dire need of a complete transformation. If people in the West are continuously debating the quality of their education system, how can we not be doing the same when we send thousands of our youth yearly to be educated there?
There is no such thing as perfection. Every country has its problems and we are certainly no exception. That is a fact, but it is not an excuse for us to hold onto with bloody fingers, so that we can ignore our flaws. And yes Saudi Arabia may be a relatively young country, but again that is no excuse. We will never be able to move forward unless we acknowledge our flaws so that we are able to deal with them successfully.
The cost of a barrel of oil is now at a staggering $60 and if we do not take advantage of this opportunity now we may find ourselves in debt again and having to fight something far worse than terrorism. Now is the time to invest in our education system. We might not be able to make the necessary changes in the coming years, because oil will not last forever.
There is a lot to be done, but at least for now we are in a position to make it happen. So what is wrong with identifying our weaknesses and trying to overcome them? We should try to strive toward being better so that our country becomes something we are truly proud of and not because we are told to be proud.
I have a sneaking suspicion that it is this kind of behavior, not wanting to discuss and acknowledge our problems, that has probably played the biggest role in recruiting terrorists. Maybe I’m wrong, but it does not make me a terrorist sympathizer; just someone with an opinion, which the people of this country have to be willing to accept if they want to have a fighting chance of defeating terrorism.
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— (Jawahir Al-Subaie is a Management and Information Systems student. She is based in Alkhobar.)