How do we explain the incident — a young man of this very country with a belt of explosives wrapped around his body enter a supposedly safe place like a mosque and blows himself up resulting in the death of innocent Muslims?
It is indeed a tragic incident that will remain under discussion for a while only to be replaced by some other similar tragedy here or there.
What drives some of our people to carry out such heinous crimes? What is this mindset? What makes them love death and hate life? These are all important questions that need appropriate answers so as to address the situation at the earliest.
It is no longer a secret that they are a people in crisis. It is they who plotted, planned and executed the despicable terrorist act in one of the mosques in the town of Al-Qadeeh. In fact, they did not target our Shiite brethren but it was an attack on our homeland.
The mentality that gives rise to the self-ascribed Islamic State and its likes is basically a result of intellectual bankruptcy and springs from an obscurantist and myopic worldview. People with this kind of mentality find it difficult to reconcile themselves even to the thought of adapting to new realities. Therefore, these people are also unable to live in harmony with others. They dwell in an imaginary world of their own far removed from the real world.
Mere condemnation of the Qatif terror attack would not do us any good. We need to uproot the intellectual basis of this mentality. In addition to criminalizing sectarian rhetoric, we need to take measures to further strengthen the culture of tolerance and mutual respect.
We desperately need cohesion, intellectual alertness and patriotic sentiments to confront acts that threaten our security and the strength of our social fabric.
It is no secret that the IS uses religious texts out of their actual context to promote its interests. On the other hand, throughout its history true Islam effectively tackled intellectual and cultural challenges through its moderate approach and has always emerged stronger broadening its universal character and appeal.
The horrendous scenario enacted by a revolting extremist ideology in Qatif was a treacherous stab, a cowardly terror act antithetical to all human values and contrary to any divine or temporal law.
It was quite evident that the attack sought to drag our country into a sectarian conflict and to strike at the roots of our national unity and stability. It apparently signifies that the nation is threatened from many sides including from countries in the region, radical groups and a group of people within the country sympathetic to or supporting their orientations.
However, the Kingdom has proved that it is blind to sectarian colors, and consequently it cut off the road where the enemies are lying in ambush, and put out the fire of sedition. The response to the crime committed in Qadeeh was clear and direct.
The unity of the nation is a red line. We will never allow anyone to damage the cohesion, stability and security of the country. Majority of the people are for the unity and cohesion of this country and is loyal to the leadership.
I was very much pleased to read the comments of my Shiite brothers, who deprived the malicious aspirants of any opportunity to stoke sectarian sentiments, despite the enormity of the tragedy. They showed a rational sense of patriotism and comprehensive vision, in which the national interest was put above any other consideration.
A person who followed the developments would have sensed the manifestation of the national spirit in the wake of the heinous attack. I was not surprised at the display of true sentiments and the spontaneous reactions expressed from all corners of the country, reflecting the nature of the relationship between various segments of our society.
In this context, the condemnation of the attack by the Grand Mufti and our intellectuals and thinkers, both Shiites and Sunnis, have been a notable message.
Inciting sectarian tensions is a card that has been played cleverly by extremist radical movements targeting our country and such attempts are encouraged by a regional power that exploits sectarian sentiments.
It is time to deal with sectarian incitement and the role of some preachers in it. They send virulent messages of sectarianism on the social media without hiding their names, with scant regard for the regulations governing such crimes.
But it is the responsibility of everyone to fight such elements for the preservation of the unity of our country.
Preserving King Abdul Aziz’s achievements in uniting the country is a necessity, not a luxury, especially what unites us as a nation is more than what divides us and so it is imperative on our preachers in mosques, and media, columnists and intellectuals not to play the sectarian card and confront any perverted views.
As human beings we are equal in rights and duties, as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has said. We should benefit from the diversity of our society. These factors and values must be invested for the welfare of the nation.
There are certain priorities in the life of nations and humans. Our priority after our religion is this country, which we should not neglect especially in the light of ongoing conflicts in neighboring countries.
It has become imperative in the aftermath of the Al-Qadeeh incident that we revisit the issue of our sense of belongingness and the criminalization of extremism and racism by developing an all-inclusive national strategy, in which all people with different doctrinal, intellectual and cultural backgrounds should stand united against any attempt of intrusion and fragmentation.
