Why did this terrible thing happen? How could it have happened? These were the questions asked in the aftermath of the most recent Riyadh bombings. The questioner continued by asking why these terrorists couldn’t be stopped. And hardly were the words out of his mouth when the BBC from London phoned me and asked the same question. What had led to the bombing which killed and injured — to say nothing of traumatizing and psychologically scarring — dozens of people?
Many “whys” were asked and then from the “whys”, we moved to the “hows”. How can future attacks be prevented? How can our young men be protected from being brainwashed into committing such terrible and un-Islamic acts? How can we, as a nation, stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and, in the loudest possible voice, say “No to Terror” and “No to Terrorists”?
These are serious questions that must be answered. They must be answered truthfully and honestly. The answers of course are bound to upset some and anger others. But that must not be allowed to stop us from seeking answers; the time has come to wake up and accept the danger that we have all had a share, no matter how small, in creating the problem that faces us. The time for burying our heads in the sand has gone with the wind. The government has taken the most stringent security measures to fight this menace. We must not, however, allow ourselves to think that everything must be done by the government, that problems must only be dealt with by the authorities. Each and every citizen of Saudi Arabia — indeed each and every resident — is responsible for the Kingdom’s security and stability.
In a recent BBC interview, I said that for years we prided ourselves on being a country with some of the lowest crime rates in the world. There was almost no violent crime — no armed robberies, no kidnappings and virtually no cold-blooded murders. Yes, there were feuds in which people killed but they were family affairs or crimes of passion. Today, unfortunately, many outsiders view us as a violent society — something that we definitely are not. All this because of the behavior of a minuscule minority who have taken it upon themselves to produce terror among us. Apart from preventive security measures, then, what else can we do?
The answer is to keep a close watch on our children, know where they are, what they are doing and who they are spending their time with. In short, we must monitor our children and how they spend their time. Remember that those who carried out these hideous crimes were young people. Their minds were controlled by people who had convinced them that wrong was in fact right. It is important for parents, especially fathers, to have a strong relationship with their sons. Fathers and sons should spend time together regularly, discuss all manner of subjects and share hobbies and interests.
Unfortunately, I don’t see this happening very often at any level of Saudi society. Young people are usually left alone, to fend for themselves. It is only natural that when they have nothing to do, they are susceptible to boredom, frustration and anxiety. Without good role models, they are easily attracted to, and distracted by, the first thing that comes along. Like wet clay, they are easily molded into undesirable shapes.
And this is what we as a society must put an end to. We as parents are in the first line of defense. We must keep our youngsters profitably occupied. We must sit and talk to them. And I mean a real dialogue rather than the young simply listening to a monologue by the old. The wet clay can also be molded into desirable shapes.
I would strongly suggest that Seerat Al-Nabawiya (the life and traditions of the Prophet) be read and discussed. Many years ago Dr. Muhammad Abdo Yamani, the former minister of information, wrote a book — “Allimoo Awladakum Hubbu Rasoolallah” (Teach Your Children the Love of the Prophet). I believe by teaching our young people the real Islamic spirit as illustrated in the life of our Prophet (peace be upon him) which focused on love, compassion, mercy, understanding and tolerance, we will go a long way toward instilling these noble qualities into our young people.
These are qualities that will make them humane and keep them away from guns, bombs and unacceptable influences. May Allah guide our youth and protect this holy land from harm. Amin.
