Containing Terrorism
Jameel Theyabi Al Hayat - 19/08/08//
We cannot accept any hypothesis stating that fighting terrorism is merely a security act, or the sole responsibility of a specific side - since fighting terrorism is not restricted in time or space but is a social act that requires a conscious and real group effort.
It is necessary to activate the popular role that is "absent" or "made to be absent", for supporting the security bodies that are responsible for fighting terrorism, in order to succeed in their mission and preserve the safety of all communities.
Terrorism is an intellectual and psychosocial problem that targets children, women, the depressed and the marginalized, and exposes them to danger, then executes suicide and bombing operations to kill innocent people and threaten security and stability.
Terrorism is a phenomenon that needs cooperative work and complementary efforts combining all social, psychological, economic, educational, security, and religious specialties, for isolating terrorism ideas away from society, treating those addicted to these ideas, and ridding people from their evil spirits.
International efforts for fighting terrorism are decreasing, and countries are not sufficiently collaborating on the security level. There are even some of them that are suspected to support terrorism. There is no doubt that all countries try to protect their regime and the safety of their citizens, which is crucial for their survival and security. However, ignoring the practices of countries that pave the way for the actions of terrorist organizations and support armed militias, or other countries that open their borders for transporting criminals to other countries and spreading terrorism, is an act that does not serve international security.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior did well to announce the cooperation of Saudi citizens and families to denounce any persons with suspicious motives or plans, in a manner that expresses their awareness of their role and social responsibility in fighting terrorism. This complementary security work between citizens and security men has earned the admiration of other countries. Moreover, newspaper headlines praised the spirit and nationalism of Saudi citizens and their concern for safety, pointing that this support will avoid many evils in the country and will create an "exemplary" security spirit.
I believe that the increase in communication between citizens and security men through the denunciations made by Saudi families - particularly fathers, mothers, and wives - in case of suspicion of the involvement of a relative in the plans of "lost souls" offers a "national" indicator confirming that the Saudi society in all its categories has become aware of what is being planned by Takfiris and terrorists, such as trying to target young generations, exploiting their religious belonging, and mobilizing them to execute suspicious actions.
This social role that remained "lost" for the past times is what allowed terrorism to find a place amidst society's silence and carelessness, grow, and claim innocent lives.
The latest bulletin of the Ministry of Interior is optimistic and requires "concrete" support from the rest of civic and governmental institutions, at the forefront of which are the Ministries of Education, Islamic Affairs, Culture, and Information. Rapidity in notifying parents of their child's sudden disappearance is a national duty that allows security bodies to play their role in finding the lost son and returning him after interrogating him about the reasons of his absence. However, idleness in such a matter will neither serve the families nor the country.
While it is true that the family's cooperation for rectifying its "suspected" sons is necessary, what attracted my attention is the fact that an inhabitant contacted the authorities for surrendering himself after he suspected "convictions that might lead him to perform dangerous actions" following his visit to internet sites. He "felt that the right thing to do was to notify the proper authorities", and legal and psychological specialists were assigned to his case.
Moreover, the notification of three fathers about the "sudden" trip of their sons for participating in "Jihad" allowed the concerned authorities to follow them and coordinate with the authorities in the country they crossed. This led to their arrest in an airport before they left for their destination with a fourth passenger. A Ministry of Interior official announced that the cooperation of these young men's relatives with the security bodies "had a direct effect on their rapid retrieval, as well as knowing who had incited them, and subjecting them to various programs for uncovering truth from suspicion".
Despite the successes and achievements of Saudi security authorities in foiling great terrorism operations, terroristic thought is considered to be the greatest threat against young people and the country's future due to malicious minds working in the dark and trying to exploit religious interpretations for achieving their malignant objectives. Terrorism, its funding, and its supporters will not disappear without full social cooperation prompted by national and religious concern.
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