RIYADH, 1 August 2006 — At least 53 percent of terrorist attacks that took place in 2004 happened outside the Middle East region, according to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.
In his foreword in the latest issue of “Diplomat” magazine, which is published on behalf of the Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Diplomatic Studies, Prince Saud cites data provided by Rand Corporation, a nonprofit institution specialized in research and analysis, in support of his argument that “a stranger to the Middle East relying only on the media for information about the region would be led to believe that we have a monopoly on terrorists acts.” His article is relevant in the context of the current wave of terrorism sweeping across the Middle East that have been triggered by Israeli attacks on the people of Gaza and Lebanon.
In the latest incident of Israeli state terrorism, 56 people, more than half of them children, were killed when it bombarded the southern Lebanese village of Qana on Sunday.
It was the biggest single loss of life since Israel unleashed its firepower on Lebanon almost three weeks ago.
However, going by the international media, one gets the impression that only Arabs are responsible for the acts of violence, of which Israel is the victim.
Prince Saud said, “There is no single model or example that represents all acts of terrorism. Misguided people perform violent acts. Some do so in quest of glory and salvation based on religious fanaticism; others commit violent acts as a result of frustration and despair caused by circumstances and conditions beyond their control. There are also violent acts that are motivated by opportunistic politics — domestic and international.”
The foreign minister stressed the need for preachers, not only in the Arab world but also in other countries, to promote understanding and tolerance among people. “The whole world must do so without overlooking the sensitivity of the moral issues and with full respect for the diversities of values and traditions of all cultures.”
The mass media, Prince Saud said, needs to understand its role in fighting delinquent ideas. Educational institutions should also play their part in promoting sound human values and in insulating society against deviant thoughts.
“Terrorism has no religion, ethnic origin, nationality, or geographic location. In this respect, it is pertinent to say that any attempt to associate terrorism with any given faith will in fact help legitimize the terrorists, and this we should reject completely,” he said.
A survey conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project in 13 countries between March 31 and May 14 2006 found that positive opinion about Muslims has declined sharply in Spain over the past year (from 46 to 29 percent) and more modestly in Britain (from 72 to 63 percent).
The survey was conducted in the wake of the Danish cartoon controversy that triggered global protests. It showed both hopeful and troubling signs with respect to Muslim support for terrorism and the viability of democracy in Muslim countries.
The survey showed that there have been substantial decline in the percentages In countries like Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia. It indicates that suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilian targets cannot be justified to defend Muslims against their enemies.
