Stolen Lives, Forgotten Tributes

Ali came to Saudi Arabia at the age of 10. For the past 40 years, he worked hard to make this country his home. He got a stable job, and has been diligently doing the same thing for the last 25 years. He married and has been raising eight children to become productive members of society. His eldest son (Waleed, 28) works in a printing press and his youngest (Hassan, 9) is in third grade. Among his children are five daughters, one of whom is studying medicine. The hard-working man was liked and respected by all those he came into contact with. Last Monday, Ali was at work in the US Consulate when it was attacked. His family, frantic with worry, called him to make sure he was safe. Ali spoke to both his wife and son telling them that he was fine but that he had to hang up as there were some injured people around him. That morning was the last time his family was to ever speak to him. Ali died before noon.

Whenever a terrorist bomb goes off in Saudi Arabia, everyone jumps to conclusions. World media focuses on the event, each with its own purpose highlighting the Kingdom’s weakness or strength in relation to terrorism; and Saudi media shields the event by making it exclusively theirs for as long as possible. Saudi dissidents, especially, seize the opportunity to make use of the event to the optimal. Religious dissidents, for example, will claim that such an attack is only to be expected if the Saudi government keeps allowing Americans to live in “our holy land” — especially since the US government continues to slaughter Muslims in other countries. Other dissidents, however, will claim that the whole event was staged by the authorities to get people’s attention away from violations of human rights in the Kingdom.

In the midst of all the controversy, however, we all forget what matters most: The sanctity of human life. We forget that such events rob families of their fathers, sons, and husbands. Unfortunately, Ali’s story is not rare. Along with Ali, four other people were killed in the attack: A Sudanese, a Filipino, an Indian, and a Sri Lankan. I do not know their names as the papers just listed their nationalities, but these men were not just nationalities. They were lives; stolen lives. In addition to these victims are many more stolen lives from other bombings that happened in Saudi Arabia. Let us not forget the dozens of lives taken for no good reason, let us not forget their grieving families.

Amid the controversy, we have forgotten something else: Paying tribute to the men that stand guard over us, risking their lives every day for our safety. As I see the soldiers standing on the streets on my way to work — and again when I am coming back — my heart goes out to them. I wish I could stop and thank them for the long hours they put standing in the heat, cold, or rain to ensure our safety. Instead of complaining about the traffic due to checkpoints, why don’t we all smile at the tired young men, thank them, and tell them that we are grateful and proud of them?

When an officer dies in a terrorist attack, why doesn’t the entire nation pay their condolences to his family? Is it not the least we can do in return for the life he gave up to protect us? I suggest that officials start supplying our newspapers with the mailing addresses (or even home addresses) of all the deceased officers so that we may all support their grieving families. We need to express our gratitude and, more importantly, their families need to know that their loved ones did not die in vain and that we are grieving with them.

Through Arab News today, I pay my condolences to all the families that lost loved ones in the violent attacks that took place in my country over the past few years. To the officers, especially, who died in these attacks and to their families, I say: We will never forget your precious sacrifice. And to the officers who continue to risk their lives for us, I say: Thank you for your dedication; you are in our prayers.

(Mody Al-Khalaf is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)