RIYADH/JEDDAH/DAMMAM, 19 June 2004 — Shock quickly transmuted into anger among people in the Kingdom yesterday as news spread of the grisly beheading of Paul Johnson.
Saudis in particular were incensed, with many saying the barbaric killing would cost the extremists what support they still enjoyed. But there was also palpable fear not merely among expatriates but also among Saudis who feel they could be targeted next.
Fatma, who declined to give her last name, spoke for many when she said the terrorists attacked “somebody who had been here for years. It is un-Islamic. He was here under our protection,” she said, referring to a pledge of security Muslims extend to all who enter their lands.
Many Saudis said the terrorists were bent on harming Islam and the Kingdom. “We are ashamed that fellow Muslims have done such an inhuman and repulsive act,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Shahari, a journalist.
“Whatever little sympathy these misguided people enjoyed earlier has waned away after the series of attack in the Kingdom. This will create hatred for them,” said Ibrahim Al-Sulaiman, a Saudi student at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran.
But Muhammad Abdul Hamid warned the government and the Kingdom’s religious leaders must do more to counter extremism. “Statements of condemnation are not enough. They must speak to these people in prison and start a dialogue. These prisoners are the ones who are influencing young people,” he said.
Others speculated about the operational support for the terrorists. One Saudi woman, who asked not to be identified, said, “There’s a conspiracy. They have guns and weapons. Somebody must have an interest in furthering their political aims.”
Theses were essentially “the interests of the US and Israel,” she said.
“The place is not safe anymore,” said Layla, who would not give her last name. “I am afraid. They started with foreigners,” she said. “But Saudis could be next.”
Western residents here were badly shaken, and many made brisk arrangements to leave.
George, an American from Houston, said he had now made up his mind to quit Saudi Arabia. “Paul’s killing has shown that no one is safe here. Any moment we could be killed or kidnapped,” he said.
Rene, an American housewife living in an upmarket housing compound, is determined to go home on the first available flight. “Life is not safe for us. They will spare no one, not even children and women,” she said.
“Westerners are simply not safe,” said an American who identified himself as Milton.
Many of those interviewed generally agreed that by making the lives of expats in this country abnormal, Al-Qaeda has won this round of the war. There is effectively an exodus of people from the Kingdom. Many were concerned at the prospect of splitting up their families and some by the apparent difficulties in sending their families to their home countries.
“All my Western colleagues I have spoken to during the last few days and tonight are greatly shocked,” said Eric Martin, a Western executive.
“The killing is a clear indication that any American or Westerner can be ruthlessly slaughtered.
“We can’t visit a clinic or supermarket in such a security situation, which has failed to protect us,” he added.
“Unfortunately, being in Saudi Arabia carries the risk of being killed,” a local businessman in Riyadh agreed.
Jawaid Ahmed said life here was “unbearable”. “There is no safe place to hide. The only thing to do is what the Westerners are doing and leave in droves,” he said.
Others were at a loss to imagine what goes on in the terrorists’ minds. “It’s true not every individual can be given protection, but such killings are not an answer to whatever has happened in Iraq or elsewhere,” said an executive of a leading food company from the Eastern Province. “There will be no end to such killings if you start reacting to everything that happens elsewhere, or demand the release of prisoners wherever they are held,” he said.
Others also seized on events in Iraq the terrorists have used as justification.
“The situation in Iraq has been allowed to deteriorate,” said David, a South African teacher-trainer in Jeddah. “If the incidents in Abu Ghraib had not been allowed to develop, they might have retained the moral high ground. As it is, they have lost it. It allows these despicable killers to gain some moral credibility.”
Stefan, an aircraft systems manager in Jeddah, said his reaction was “total shock at the abuse of human life that fanatics, religious or political, are willing to commit to gain their ends.”
“I understand that Saudi friends of Paul Johnson attempted to convince his captors that their intended action was un-Islamic. This appeal came from ordinary people, not officials or religious leaders,” he said. “If these people don’t listen to the average person, then whom on earth are they doing this for?”
But Stefan also sounded a note of caution. “In the days when the IRA was bombing and maiming in Europe, no one painted all Irishmen as terrorists. We shouldn’t blame or even associate all Saudis with these acts.”
