It should worry every Saudi mother and father that the children of Saudi Arabia are exposed to an ideology that teaches that murder is the appropriate solution to furthering a cause that has no basis in Islam.
Four people died last Friday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a Dammam mosque. And twenty-one worshippers were killed the week before in separate bombing at another mosque in the Eastern Province.
Clearly, young people have a zest for life with their entire lives ahead of them. So it’s obvious that individuals determined to maim and kill in the name of a new caliphate, or whatever their true purpose is, have the ability — really, a talent — to brainwash our youth into committing crimes that are contrary to their upbringing as Muslims and good citizens.
On the flip side of this coin is Abduljaleel Alarbash, 22, the Wichita State University electrical engineering major and honor roll student who gave his life on Friday to save worshippers inside the mosque. Jalil was on a break from his studies in Kansas and serving as a volunteer security guard at the mosque when he prevented a driver from entering the parking lot. The driver set off the bomb killing Jalil and his brother, Mohammed, and their cousin, who also were volunteer security guards.
Jalil was one of those young people with that eagerness to live his life to the fullest. He wanted an education to serve his country and he understood the meaning of community service. Jalil gives young Saudis hope that they can defeat the insidious reach of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) into our country.
“(Abduljalil) and his brother were heroes,” Mohammed Alsaeed, a Wichita State University student told CNN News. “From the bottom of my heart I thank them for saving my family and others’ lives.”
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman had said that, “every participant, planner, supporter, collaborator or sympathizer with this heinous crime will be held accountable, tried and punished. Our efforts will never stop ... fighting the deviant thought, confronting the terrorists and wiping out their hotbeds.”
That would be the priority in protecting our youth. An aggressive approach is the only alternative to maintain stability in Saudi Arabia. I think there should be a Phase II, which would require Saudis to look long into the future to determine what kind of country they want to live in.
This leads us to the bombers of both Eastern Province attacks. What led them on the path to self-destruction while under the delusion that he was performing a duty in the name of Islam? What is the solution for protecting Saudi youth?
It is not sufficient for Muslims to just condemn these acts of barbarianism and move on with their lives until the next bombing kills more people. And it’s not helpful when some religious leaders make inflammatory statements that give rise to secular violence.
Even a single brainwashed young Saudi who wants to become a martyr means that somewhere in the timeline of his life we have failed as a nation to protect him and ensure that he makes the right choices.
We are faced now with the true test of actually doing something instead of just talking and shaking our heads over lost lives in bombing attacks and lost lives to the IS ideology. Although the Saudi educational system has made great progress in minimizing violent rhetoric in our curriculum, we still must vet educators who have a tendency to supplement current curriculum with their own inappropriate secular prejudices. Adding curriculum that challenges violent and un-Islamic ideology is a necessary classroom tool to keep Saudis on the right path starting at a young age.
Parents must accept responsibility for the actions of their children, but they may never need to reach that point if they are aware of their children’s perception of their religious duties. Not only must parents be aware, but they also must demand that their teachers also be aware of what young people are being exposed to in the classroom and on the playground.
Yet if any educator or individual in a position of authority were asked today what specific plans are in place to prevent young people from straying from the true Islam, I would imagine they would have no answers. So the questions remain: Just who and what are guiding Saudi youths to the right path?
