It is no longer an isolated incident or an insane grasp at publicity by a few individuals. It is no longer a case of a limited number of people staging unconnected attacks, targeting this or that place with some of them being killed, others arrested and still others escaping. It is no longer a reaction to certain government policies and measures aimed at ensuring security and guarding against possible threats.
What is happening right now in the Kingdom is an open confrontation that is not confined to a single battlefield. It is a showdown no longer bound by geography. It began in Riyadh, and then moved to Madinah with the remnants of those involved in the attacks fleeing in every direction.
Then the unthinkable happened. Last week tragedy struck Makkah, Islam’s holiest site, the sacred earth and the focus for millions of Muslims worldwide.
With the city and the area close to the Grand Mosque being the target this time, a dangerous shift has occurred in the strategy of those individuals who are no longer bound by any religious or ethical restraints. To them, all places and all human beings — without exception — are targets against which any kind of violence can be used. The situation is now at the point of full confrontation that may end so easily. The other side is bent on pursuing a policy of killing and destruction at any cost, even if this means self-destruction by suicide bombings. This presents a serious problem whose gravity and devastating consequences must be recognized. The authorities responsible for dealing with a situation like this know better than any one else how to handle it. It is a situation that must be dealt with decisively and resolutely.
It must not be underestimated and no attempt should be made to mislead the public into believing that defeating it is a simple matter. Day by day the problem grows increasingly complicated. Now we know that individuals from other nationalities are involved and that the types and quantities of explosives seized indicate that the weapons could not have been acquired easily by one or two persons or smuggled into the Kingdom in the usual ways. A more serious situation that demands close attention is that the armed groups managed to transport their weapons from one place to another — and to regroup each time they were targeted.
Confronting these groups is a battle that requires the involvement of every one in the country. This is a decisive moment in the life of every one of us and a turning point in the country’s history. It is a situation that calls on all of us to work together by showing courage and decisiveness.
Arab News From the Local Press 21 June 2003
