JEDDAH, 31 May 2004 — The 120-member Shoura Council yesterday called for effective action to counter terrorism after four Al-Qaeda suspects killed 22 people including 19 foreigners in Alkhobar, and emphasized the need to fight the ideological roots of terrorism.
“What we need is not just the condemnation of criminal and terrorist acts. We have to study all aspects of terrorism, especially its security, economic and ideological aspects,” one member told the Shoura, which debated Saturday’s shooting rampage and hostage-taking.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Abdullah received calls from President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Omar Al-Bashir, president of Sudan, condemning the attacks. The crown prince emphasized that “such criminal acts will not affect the Kingdom’s security and stability.”
The weekly Shoura meeting, chaired by its President Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid, condemned the Alkhobar attacks and said the terrorists wanted to undermine the Kingdom’s security, create division in society and destroy public and private property. “Such acts will only serve the enemies of the Kingdom and the Islamic nation,” it added.
“We call for efforts to trace the roots of this deviant ideology and discover its sources in order for men of knowledge to correct,” the misconceptions in the minds of its followers, the Shoura said in a statement. It also urged a Shoura panel to conduct a speedy study of the phenomenon.
