By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
Seven years ago, many writers and journalists in our region defended and condoned the destructive attacks launched by Al-Qaeda, and in the process considered any criticism of the terrorist network to be in support of US foreign policy, without distinguishing between rational defense and political exploitation. These writers were unaware of the fact that the Al-Qaeda organization was a greater threat to them then to any foreign entity. Shortly afterwards, the Jihadist group showed its true colors in Riyadh, Dammam, Mecca, Medina, Sana'a and Amman.
History repeated itself in wake of the US invasion of Iraq, when our writers confused the rejection of occupation- a logical and justified political stance- with the praising of suicide attacks. They celebrated these attacks, describing them as acts of martyrdom. As a result, thousands of Saudis and other Arabs took up arms and traveled to As-Samawah, Al-Anbar and Baghdad. However, many of them on their way there fell into the hands of hostile Arab intelligence units, who ended up using them to serve their own interests.
Again, the same confusion took place during Israel's war against Hezbollah, and more recently, in its offensive against Hamas. Mosques, newspaper columns and discussion forums, all mobilized in an effort to Sharpen and revive the Islamic Jihad spirit, in what could be described as a recurring mix-up between the natural rejection of the Israeli onslaught and the involvement in a political camp run by Iran, which uses the Palestinian and Arab Cause to achieve its goals. Read more ...
Seven years ago, many writers and journalists in our region defended and condoned the destructive attacks launched by Al-Qaeda, and in the process considered any criticism of the terrorist network to be in support of US foreign policy, without distinguishing between rational defense and political exploitation. These writers were unaware of the fact that the Al-Qaeda organization was a greater threat to them then to any foreign entity. Shortly afterwards, the Jihadist group showed its true colors in Riyadh, Dammam, Mecca, Medina, Sana'a and Amman.
History repeated itself in wake of the US invasion of Iraq, when our writers confused the rejection of occupation- a logical and justified political stance- with the praising of suicide attacks. They celebrated these attacks, describing them as acts of martyrdom. As a result, thousands of Saudis and other Arabs took up arms and traveled to As-Samawah, Al-Anbar and Baghdad. However, many of them on their way there fell into the hands of hostile Arab intelligence units, who ended up using them to serve their own interests.
Again, the same confusion took place during Israel's war against Hezbollah, and more recently, in its offensive against Hamas. Mosques, newspaper columns and discussion forums, all mobilized in an effort to Sharpen and revive the Islamic Jihad spirit, in what could be described as a recurring mix-up between the natural rejection of the Israeli onslaught and the involvement in a political camp run by Iran, which uses the Palestinian and Arab Cause to achieve its goals. Read more ...
Source: Asharq Al-Awsat
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