The arrests of 172 suspected terrorists across Saudi Arabia that were announced on Friday, and the mounds of weapons and cash that were found in the seven different cells that were busted, are a frightening reminder that there are still hundreds, maybe thousands, of Saudis actively plotting against the government and country. Using force to eliminate or capture such terrorists is a vital component of the fight against terrorism, but the government and the Saudi people also have to start taking additional measures to combat this ideology of violence and hatred. Young men from the ages of 18 to 25 are being targeted by terrorist groups as potential recruits, and then brainwashed so that their frustrations at not being able to do something meaningful with their lives can be twisted into violent acts of murder and mayhem that they mistakenly believe will give them entrance to Paradise as martyrs.
It is high time that the government and the Saudi people took back the reins of the religious and ideological discourse that has been hijacked by extremists who preach their hateful “Takfiri” thought through which they think they can decide who is a true Muslim or not. More activities must be introduced to keep our youth gainfully engaged such as better education, training, extracurricular activities, and jobs so that they do not even have the chance to become idle and thus fall easy prey to those actively plotting against our security and well-being.
The scope of the attacks that were being planned against oil installations, high-profile personalities and the use of planes in suicide crash-attacks is truly frightening. This calls for extra vigilance on the part of everyone: the government, the young men who are viewed as potential recruits, and investors who can be tricked into investing money in enterprises that are in fact funding terror groups.
The fact that SR20 million in cold cash was found in one of the hide-outs of the terrorists in these latest raids is evidence that they are being well-funded and do not lack in financial resources. The Ministry of Interior said that the money was raised by a terrorist who duped innocent people into handing over their money for him to invest in seemingly innocent enterprises. No doubt these investors were shocked when they saw on television the pictures of what their wealth was in fact used for: AK-47 rifles, rocket- propelled grenades, handguns and bags of ammunition.
But a more basic form of vigilance is needed in speaking out against twisted ideologies that say it is OK to kill other Saudis and foreigners just because one disagrees with them. This intolerance is mistakenly allowed to grow among us because we naively believe that it will not be used against us in acts of bloody murder.
Saudis of all ages and from all walks of life have to stand up and speak out against these terrorists and their acts of violence. The truth is that this cancer is here among us and if we don’t do anything to vanquish it now, it will eventually eat us all up.
