Following are excerpts from the article, as it appeared in the English edition of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. [1]
Saudi Arabia Makes Considerable Efforts to Combat Terrorism - But This Is Not Enough
"A few days ago, a group of Saudi youths was arrested in Pakistan on their way to join Al-Qaeda. [Later] they appeared on television, shabbily dressed, and stated their names and the names of their cities of origin in Saudi Arabia.
"And today we are facing questions that have been asked since the events of 9/11: Who is responsible for pushing our youth to destruction? Who is responsible for defaming the reputation of the Saudi citizen? Who is stoking the fire [of extremism] inside Saudi Arabia?
"I say with conviction that the Saudi government has made, and continues to make, significant efforts [to combat terrorism]. This has resulted in its becoming a model to the entire world in [maintaining] security in combating terrorism.
"But is this enough? The answer is no. The ideological war [against extremism] in Saudi Arabia continues to be fought, but at an insufficient level - even though the Saudi media is fiercely opposing extremism and the extremists, and even though Saudi society feels aversion for Al-Qaeda, for those who engage in takfir [i.e. accuse other Muslims of heresy], and for those who support them. Despite [all these efforts,] we continue to witness the destruction of our youth.
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"One of the Saudi youths arrested in Pakistan was recognized on television by his family, and his brother informed the Saudi [daily] Al-Watan that they had lost contact with him nine months ago. After investigating the matter, the family learned that he had left Saudi Arabia for the Gulf, and from there traveled to Iran, eventually ending up in Pakistan.
"A few days ago, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published an article by our colleague Maad Fayed dealing with Sousa prison [in Iraq]. [In it,] he revealed that about 48 Saudi nationals are detained in Iraqi Kurdistan, and that according to Iraqi authorities they entered Iraq via Syria.
"Should we then blame the Iranians, the Syrians, or others? I do not think so. We should first blame ourselves, and ask why there is no ideological effort [to combat extremism] in the educational and religious domains. The most important thing is to protect our youth and keep them away from this danger.
"We Must Undertake an Ideological Effort that Will Equal the Security Effort"
"It is true that there are countries that exploit our youth, providing them with forged passports [to travel to the Jihad fronts], and there are also countries that finance [the terrorists]... But this is one matter, and uprooting the sources of [extremist] incitement inside Saudi Arabia is another.
"The most important thing is to track down these instigators in Saudi Arabia, and undertake an ideological effort that will equal the security effort [in intensity]. [This effort must be] along the lines of the national dialogue that has been taking place in Saudi Arabia over the past few years, but it should focus on the causes [that lead to] extremism and the tempting of our youth.
"...[The dialogue should be] an all-inclusive dialogue that does not pit one group against another, or one ideology against another. We must talk openly about the reasons behind our youth's destruction, using [objective] studies and figures...
"Let us be honest with each other: The religious and ideological efforts in Saudi Arabia must be doubled - in order to protect the youth from the evil [people] that seek to incite them, in order to protect the youth from themselves, and above all in order to protect Saudi Arabia. That is the most important thing."
Endnotes:
[1] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), May 24, 2009. The text has been lightly edited for clarity.
