CNN interviews Adel Al Toraifi
Bush Dynasty Family Friends And Business Partners In Saudi Arabia Trying To Figure Out Why They Keep Murdering Americans
May 15, 2003
Terror Attacks Provoke Soul-Searching In Saudi Press By Julie Stahl CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief May 15, 2003
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Editorials in Saudi newspapers indicate the Saudi people are grappling with the fact that some 15 of their countrymen carried out a triple suicide bomb attack in Riyadh this week, killing 34 people, Americans among them. Nearly 200 others were wounded.
While some editorials declared the perpetrators could not have been true Saudis, others said that the fact that the bombers were Saudis could not be ignored.
The root causes had to be explored, the editorials said, and could not be swept under the rug as they were after the September 11 terror attacks in the United States. (Fifteen of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens.)
Saudi papers are not government-run, but they are connected to the Saudi regime. Translations of the articles, which appeared in Wednesday's papers, were provided by the independent Middle East Media Research Institute on Thursday.
Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi, a columnist for Al-Watan, criticized the official sheiks and columnists for not awakening until a catastrophe happened. He also criticized the failure to deal with the "real causes and roots of the ideology of jihad [holy war]," blaming it on an imported ideology and ignoring the roots in their own culture.
"Our religious message includes many phenomena of religious extremism," Al-Tarifi wrote. "A quick glance at the Friday sermons in the mosques or at the fatwas [religious edicts] can attest to this."
Western experts have long pointed to mosque sermons and the anti-Western school curriculum in Saudi Arabia as the type of incitement that breeds the hatred that leads to terrorism.
According to Al- Tarifi, "The jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools... The fatwas...have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a legitimate basis for these acts. Some fatwas justified September 11; other fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield..."
Al-Tarifi argues that many messages coming from schools, homes and mosques need to be reformed. The columnist declared that terrorism cannot be blamed on economic or psychological conditions.
"These conditions can account for the behavior of criminals, but cannot account for a terror event based on religious belief. Religious terror cannot be contained, because it is part of the religious belief of those who carry it out," he wrote.
He said that terror attacks are not new to Saudi society and should not push the country towards "religious extremism" as it has in the past because it would lead to a "Saudi Manhattan" (Manhattan being a reference to the Sept. 11 terror attacks at the World Trade Center in N.Y.).
Al-Tarifi noted that he had written the article prior to Monday's three car bombings in Riyadh, "and I am sorry to say that the Saudi Manhattan has indeed happened," he added.
Editorials published on the website of the Saudi English language Arab News had a similar theme.
In an article entitled, "Too Much Dust to Go Under the Carpet," columnist Raid Qusti charged that the theme in Saudi papers over the attack was "denial."
"I picked up an Arabic newspaper yesterday morning. After reading the huge headline about the three blasts that rocked Riyadh, a certain well-known writer began his exposition. And then the magical words came to the surface, 'You are not Saudis. You could not have been Saudis. Your actions are despised by us all.'
"The exact same denial was seen in other publications. Nobody wants to admit that the perpetrators, the terrorists who carried out these heinous acts, were Saudis, many bearing well-known Saudi family names," Qusti wrote.
It is the same denial that happened after September 11, he wrote, and if the Saudis cannot admit that their "own flesh and blood" carried out the attacks then there will be more such incidents in the future.
"Who are we trying to fool? Ourselves, or the international community? Neither can be fooled," he said. "The time of pretending that radicalism does not exist in Saudi Arabia is long past. The time for pretending that we are above errors and could not possibly commit terrorist attacks is no longer with us...
"How can we expect others to believe that a majority of us are a peace-loving people who denounce extremism and terrorism when some preachers continue to call for the destruction of Jews and Christians, blaming them for all the misery in the Islamic world?"
Qusti slammed a leading sheik's denunciation of terrorism, because it ignored some key points: "We needed to hear three questions that are never asked. Like dust, they are swept under the carpet: Why are more and more Saudi young men being fed with radical ideas? Who are the people brainwashing them? How are they being radicalized? And so it happens that so much dust is swept underneath the carpet that it finally bursts out in full view of everybody. At last, the truth that was hidden has come out," he said.
In a second editorial in Arab News entitled, "The Enemy Within," the writer tells the Saudis they must face the fact they have a terrorist problem.
Last week's announcement that the government was searching for a terror cell should have been a wake-up call, he said, "particularly to those who steadfastly refuse to accept that individual Saudis or Muslims could ever do anything evil, who still cling to the fantasy that September 11 and all the other attacks laid at the doors of terrorists who happen to be Arab or Muslim were in fact the work of the Israelis or the CIA....
"We did not want to admit that Saudis were involved in September 11. We can no longer ignore that we have a nest of vipers here, hoping that by doing so they will go away...
"The suicide bombers have been encouraged by the venom of anti-Westernism that has seeped through the Middle East's veins, and the Kingdom is no less affected. Those who gloat over September 11, those who happily support suicide bombings in Israel and Russia, those who consider non-Muslims less human than Muslims and therefore somehow disposable, all bear part of the responsibility for the Riyadh bombs," the editorial said.
But several editorials in the Saudi paper Okaz took an opposite approach, blaming the terror attacks on imported ideology and drawing a distinction between suicide bombers.
"Blaming the extremist phenomenon of people who blow themselves up to harm others on our curriculum is not objective or fair, because this phenomenon is new, and it is inconceivable that it is the product of the curriculum that has served our society for half a century," Khaled Hamed Al-Suleiman wrote.
"Ideological extremism is merchandise that was never manufactured or sown in this land; it is merchandise imported to this land, duty-free, and the one who exported it got nothing for it, except the pure souls harvested by indiscriminate acts of terror," Al-Suleiman said.
"No country in the world has been spared terror... and therefore we must not go overboard in analyzing these practical ramifications," he added.
Also in Okaz, Abed Khazandar tried to differentiate between different kinds of suicide attacks.
"If I carry out suicide operations against an enemy occupying my land, killing my children, and expelling me from my home, this is legitimate jihad," Khazandar wrote.
"But if I carry out similar operations against innocent civilians who came to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of its government in order to serve the country and train its sons, then this is a criminal and terrorist act.
"This is the unjust killing that Allah forbade. In this case, taking their own lives is the equivalent of killing innocents, primarily because they caused no damage to American interests, as they claimed, but damaged their homeland," he said.
Calling the terrorists "foreign cave dwellers" - a reference to al Qaeda members who trained and lived in the caves of Afghanistan - Hamad bin Hamed Al-Salame denied any Saudi connection with the terrorists in an article in Al-Jazirah. He told them, "depart our country and go to hell.""
http://www.welchreport.com/pastnews_c.cfm?rank=792
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Fareed Zakaria Quote Adel Al Toraifi, Newsweek
May 26, 2003, U.S. Edition
Now, Saudis See the Enemy
For decades, supporting Islamic extremism has been cost-free for the Saudis-government and people alike. Not anymore
By Fareed Zakaria
Last week’s attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco show two contradictory things about Al Qaeda. It remains strong enough to launch serious operations. Yet since September 11, 2001, it has not been able to hit a single military, governmental or symbolic target anywhere in the world. Over the past two years in Indonesia, Tunisia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Al Qaeda has gone after soft targets. And while it’s relatively easy to blow up hotels, nightclubs and residential buildings, indiscriminate violence against locals ensures that Al Qaeda loses appeal in country after country. That means governments gain support to act.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Saudi Arabia. For decades now, supporting Islamic extremism has been cost-free for the Saudis—government and people alike. They could appease militants, appear pious and buy themselves peace, all with little consequence. But now that Al Qaeda has for the first time killed Saudi civilians, the terrorist group might—just might—have destroyed the true basis of its support. Fundamentalist terror is finally going to be fought in the Arabian heartland, the only place where it can be rooted out.
Al Qaeda Strikes
Read Saudi Arabia’s newspapers these days. “The time of pretending that radicalism does not exist in Saudi Arabia is long past,” writes Raid Qusti, a columnist for the Saudi English-language daily Arab News. “How can we expect others to believe that a majority of us are a peace-loving people who denounce extremism and terrorism when some preachers continue to call for the destruction of Jews and Christians, blaming them for all the misery in the Islamic world?” The columnist Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi writes in Al-Watan: “What many of the official sheiks and columnists—who do not awaken until a catastrophe occurs—say about the phenomenon does not deal with the real causes and roots of the ideology of Jihad... Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools.”
An editorial in the Arab News titled “The Enemy Within” read: “Crushing them [the terrorists] will not be enough. The environment that produced such terrorism has to change. The suicide bombers have been encouraged by the venom of anti-Westernism that has seeped through the Middle East’s veins, and the Kingdom is no less affected. Those who gloat over September 11, those who happily support suicide bombings in Israel and Russia, those who consider non-Muslims less human than Muslims and therefore somehow disposable, all bear part of the responsibility for the Riyadh bombs.”
The Saudi government will surely take security measures and act more aggressively on intelligence tips. But it needs to take much larger steps—cleansing its mosques and media organizations of militant mullahs, sidelining the Religious Affairs Department, reforming its educational system and shutting down the private funds that flow to Wahhabi organizations abroad, spreading militancy and extremism. “The other road map Washington must provide is to the Saudis, detailing what they need to do,” says Ahmed Bishara, a leading Kuwaiti commentator.
The Saudi government is saying the right things so far. Its spokesman Adel al-Jubeir said to me, “You can expect to see dramatic change in Saudi Arabia, both security measures and political reforms, to ensure that such ideologies do not flourish.” His boss, Crown Prince Abdullah, seems to be a genuine reformer. The kingdom will soon announce a commission to formally re-examine the concept of jihad in Islam. But Abdullah will have to consolidate his power to drive real change.
On a bad day, the Saudi political system looks like medieval Europe, with its king, dukes, earls and viscounts all milling about the court in a gentle, ceaseless power struggle. The current situation would make for a nice Shakespearean drama. King Fahd, 80, is barely alive. His existence, however, keeps Abdullah from completing the succession. The two most powerful ministries—Defense and Interior—are run by Abdullah’s rival brothers. The king’s favorite son is flirting with Wahhabi extremists to gain allies. Europe moved from its medieval politics to absolute monarchy in the 16th century. Sometimes it seems that Saudi Arabia hasn’t gotten there yet.
Vice President Dick Cheney’s reaction to the bombings in Saudi Arabia has been to point out that Al Qaeda cannot be negotiated with. “The only sure way to security... is to go eliminate the terrorists.” Of course this is true. But the larger battle that must be waged here is a battle against the political and ideological conditions that make such groups thrive. After all, the United States has waged war against Al Qaeda for two years, destroyed its home base, rolled up dozens of its cells and shut down hundreds of bank accounts around the world. Yet it could not—and probably cannot—stop such attacks on civilians. There are simply too many soft targets in the world. We’ve been tough on terror. It’s time to get tough on the causes of terror.
http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/052603.html
Now, Saudis See the Enemy
For decades, supporting Islamic extremism has been cost-free for the Saudis-government and people alike. Not anymore
By Fareed Zakaria
Last week’s attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco show two contradictory things about Al Qaeda. It remains strong enough to launch serious operations. Yet since September 11, 2001, it has not been able to hit a single military, governmental or symbolic target anywhere in the world. Over the past two years in Indonesia, Tunisia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Al Qaeda has gone after soft targets. And while it’s relatively easy to blow up hotels, nightclubs and residential buildings, indiscriminate violence against locals ensures that Al Qaeda loses appeal in country after country. That means governments gain support to act.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Saudi Arabia. For decades now, supporting Islamic extremism has been cost-free for the Saudis—government and people alike. They could appease militants, appear pious and buy themselves peace, all with little consequence. But now that Al Qaeda has for the first time killed Saudi civilians, the terrorist group might—just might—have destroyed the true basis of its support. Fundamentalist terror is finally going to be fought in the Arabian heartland, the only place where it can be rooted out.
Al Qaeda Strikes
Read Saudi Arabia’s newspapers these days. “The time of pretending that radicalism does not exist in Saudi Arabia is long past,” writes Raid Qusti, a columnist for the Saudi English-language daily Arab News. “How can we expect others to believe that a majority of us are a peace-loving people who denounce extremism and terrorism when some preachers continue to call for the destruction of Jews and Christians, blaming them for all the misery in the Islamic world?” The columnist Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi writes in Al-Watan: “What many of the official sheiks and columnists—who do not awaken until a catastrophe occurs—say about the phenomenon does not deal with the real causes and roots of the ideology of Jihad... Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools.”
An editorial in the Arab News titled “The Enemy Within” read: “Crushing them [the terrorists] will not be enough. The environment that produced such terrorism has to change. The suicide bombers have been encouraged by the venom of anti-Westernism that has seeped through the Middle East’s veins, and the Kingdom is no less affected. Those who gloat over September 11, those who happily support suicide bombings in Israel and Russia, those who consider non-Muslims less human than Muslims and therefore somehow disposable, all bear part of the responsibility for the Riyadh bombs.”
The Saudi government will surely take security measures and act more aggressively on intelligence tips. But it needs to take much larger steps—cleansing its mosques and media organizations of militant mullahs, sidelining the Religious Affairs Department, reforming its educational system and shutting down the private funds that flow to Wahhabi organizations abroad, spreading militancy and extremism. “The other road map Washington must provide is to the Saudis, detailing what they need to do,” says Ahmed Bishara, a leading Kuwaiti commentator.
The Saudi government is saying the right things so far. Its spokesman Adel al-Jubeir said to me, “You can expect to see dramatic change in Saudi Arabia, both security measures and political reforms, to ensure that such ideologies do not flourish.” His boss, Crown Prince Abdullah, seems to be a genuine reformer. The kingdom will soon announce a commission to formally re-examine the concept of jihad in Islam. But Abdullah will have to consolidate his power to drive real change.
On a bad day, the Saudi political system looks like medieval Europe, with its king, dukes, earls and viscounts all milling about the court in a gentle, ceaseless power struggle. The current situation would make for a nice Shakespearean drama. King Fahd, 80, is barely alive. His existence, however, keeps Abdullah from completing the succession. The two most powerful ministries—Defense and Interior—are run by Abdullah’s rival brothers. The king’s favorite son is flirting with Wahhabi extremists to gain allies. Europe moved from its medieval politics to absolute monarchy in the 16th century. Sometimes it seems that Saudi Arabia hasn’t gotten there yet.
Vice President Dick Cheney’s reaction to the bombings in Saudi Arabia has been to point out that Al Qaeda cannot be negotiated with. “The only sure way to security... is to go eliminate the terrorists.” Of course this is true. But the larger battle that must be waged here is a battle against the political and ideological conditions that make such groups thrive. After all, the United States has waged war against Al Qaeda for two years, destroyed its home base, rolled up dozens of its cells and shut down hundreds of bank accounts around the world. Yet it could not—and probably cannot—stop such attacks on civilians. There are simply too many soft targets in the world. We’ve been tough on terror. It’s time to get tough on the causes of terror.
http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/052603.html
Young Saudis Brainwashed
MEMRI
Special Dispatch Series - No. 898
April 22, 2005 No.898
Young Saudis Brainwashed by Islamists Have Been Transformed by the Writings of Arab Liberals
Columnist for the Saudi daily Al-Watan, Adel-Toraifi, wrote an article in the English-language Saudi daily Arab News on April 7, 2005, titled "The Young Killers and Victims of Contemporary Jihad," which criticized Jihad in Iraq and discussed how the writings of Arab liberals are helping to reform former Islamists. The following are excerpts from the article: [1]
Saudi Columnist: The Arab Nations Neglect the Misery of Others as Long as it Does Not Affect Them
"According to a BBC report last week, the number of civilian casualties as a result of the ongoing violence in Iraq since July 2004 has spiraled to 3,274. Although official figures are not available, some sources, such as Iraqbodycount.net, run by academics and peace activists, estimate some 19,696 civilian casualties. To be fair, however, we must not forget the Iraqi soldiers who have died in their efforts to secure, and also to spread, democracy in Iraq. We are left with a total of 25,000 Iraqis killed by either former Ba'thist rebels or the jihad group led by [Abu Mus'ab] Al-Zarqawi.
"Nothing can be compared to what happened last month in Hilla. The Al-Zarqawi group claimed responsibility for the deaths of at least 124 people when a massive car bomb exploded in the worst incident since the U.S.-led invasion nearly two years ago. The coverage of this massacre in the Arab media was poor in general and rather sketchy. No clear condemnation of the act was heard from Arab nations. It is not that they supported or justified it, but it was merely a matter of neglecting the misery of others as long as it didn't affect them. If this tragedy had happened in Palestine, for example, then the Arab reaction would have been overwhelming. And yet, Arabs wonder why their grievances don't receive the attention of others!"
Thousands of Saudis, Misguided and Deluded, Have Gone to Wage Jihad in Iraq
"Iraqi officials recently announced that more than 532 jihadi Arabs were arrested while fighting with Iraqi insurgents. Fifty-nine young Saudis were among those accused of terrorist acts against the Iraqi people. Since the collapse of the Ba'thist regime in April 2003, hundreds of young men have been urged to go fight in Iraq under a widespread call for Jihad by some sheikhs who are close to the Salafi-Jihadist movement.
"Faris Bin Hizam, an authority on Al-Qa'ida, estimates that up to 2,500 Saudis may have gone to fight in Iraq. Jihad networks estimate that 120 have been killed up to now. The majority of those killed have come from the Northern and Central Province and 36 from the Eastern Province. A family in Dammam has lost three young members during the ongoing insurgency in Iraq.
"The story of Ahmad Abdullah Al-Shayea, a 21-year-old Saudi who confessed to driving a fuel truck that he blew up, killing 10 Iraqis last December, shows the degree of misguidance and delusion that has led some young Saudis into such pointless violence."
"The Syrian Role"
"Many sources have confirmed the Syrian role in the training and smuggling of these jihadis from Syria into Iraq. After harsh international criticism of Syria, more than 120 jihadis from the Gulf were arrested by Syrian authorities, some of whom were sent back to their countries. One of them, Abu Hamza Al-Tabukee, a famous Salafi-Jihadi member, was arrested with a 20-year-old Saudi last year."
"Many Sheikhs Work Hard to Convince Jihadis in Prison to Change Their Ideology"
"The numbers of those arrested before they were able to get to Iraq is not known, but many sheikhs are working hard to convince those jihadis in prison to change their ideology. Some of the young men refuse to listen since they argue that they are following the call of Jihad as written in the Qur'an and the Prophet's Hadith.
"When the war began in Iraq along with the accompanying call for Jihad, the feeling of danger was not felt until Al-Qa'ida began attacks in Saudi Arabia..."
"Jihad Has Become the Prime Method of Salvation in the Muslim World"
"The jihad scheme in general, which developed in the Islamic world during the last third of the twentieth century, has caused drastic changes in thought and ideology. Upon the collapse of communism and the resurgence of Islamic ideology, jihad as a fundamental concept became the number one method of salvation to overcome the weakness felt by Muslim nations.
"The so-called Jihad scheme actually has several names, and irrespective of the countries that the jihadis are coming from, the ideological methodology is almost the same. It is obvious that some of the countries have been pushed and were reluctantly involved in the scheme in one way or another. Their mistakes in doing so have generally produced the present dilemma. The Al-Qa'ida Battar training camp that was discovered by security forces outside Riyadh was set up more than a year ago around the same time as the beginning of the terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. The Battar camp focused and fed on the numerous disturbances and tensions related to geography, history, and thought in the Islamic world."
Transformation to a Moderate Islam Was Influenced by the Writings of Liberal Arab Intellectuals
"A month ago I visited Al-Rass, in northern Al-Qassim, where I spoke to very promising young minds that had shifted from their Islamic ideological background to a moderate type of Islam. This transformation [to a moderate type of Islam] was influenced by the writings of liberal Arab intellectuals.
"Political Islamic thought and classical Salafi preachers were the reason why a lot of young Saudis ended up as killers in Allah's name.
"In a very religious and intolerant environment, it is simple to change a young man from a state of emptiness into a killing machine. I couldn't imagine during my visit that Al-Rass' tranquility could be shattered for more than three days by dangerous terrorists similar in age to those I spoke to.
"The eighteen young Saudis involved in the deadly confrontation that began last Sunday are considered terrorists by most people, but they are also victims of the deadly ideology of jihad. The challenge of saving the hopes of the young Saudi generation is difficult, but without promoting openness and religious tolerance, the young generation will face a horrible risk before they can join in the global hopes and dreams of a better future."
________________________________________
[1] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 7, 2005.
Special Dispatch Series - No. 898
April 22, 2005 No.898
Young Saudis Brainwashed by Islamists Have Been Transformed by the Writings of Arab Liberals
Columnist for the Saudi daily Al-Watan, Adel-Toraifi, wrote an article in the English-language Saudi daily Arab News on April 7, 2005, titled "The Young Killers and Victims of Contemporary Jihad," which criticized Jihad in Iraq and discussed how the writings of Arab liberals are helping to reform former Islamists. The following are excerpts from the article: [1]
Saudi Columnist: The Arab Nations Neglect the Misery of Others as Long as it Does Not Affect Them
"According to a BBC report last week, the number of civilian casualties as a result of the ongoing violence in Iraq since July 2004 has spiraled to 3,274. Although official figures are not available, some sources, such as Iraqbodycount.net, run by academics and peace activists, estimate some 19,696 civilian casualties. To be fair, however, we must not forget the Iraqi soldiers who have died in their efforts to secure, and also to spread, democracy in Iraq. We are left with a total of 25,000 Iraqis killed by either former Ba'thist rebels or the jihad group led by [Abu Mus'ab] Al-Zarqawi.
"Nothing can be compared to what happened last month in Hilla. The Al-Zarqawi group claimed responsibility for the deaths of at least 124 people when a massive car bomb exploded in the worst incident since the U.S.-led invasion nearly two years ago. The coverage of this massacre in the Arab media was poor in general and rather sketchy. No clear condemnation of the act was heard from Arab nations. It is not that they supported or justified it, but it was merely a matter of neglecting the misery of others as long as it didn't affect them. If this tragedy had happened in Palestine, for example, then the Arab reaction would have been overwhelming. And yet, Arabs wonder why their grievances don't receive the attention of others!"
Thousands of Saudis, Misguided and Deluded, Have Gone to Wage Jihad in Iraq
"Iraqi officials recently announced that more than 532 jihadi Arabs were arrested while fighting with Iraqi insurgents. Fifty-nine young Saudis were among those accused of terrorist acts against the Iraqi people. Since the collapse of the Ba'thist regime in April 2003, hundreds of young men have been urged to go fight in Iraq under a widespread call for Jihad by some sheikhs who are close to the Salafi-Jihadist movement.
"Faris Bin Hizam, an authority on Al-Qa'ida, estimates that up to 2,500 Saudis may have gone to fight in Iraq. Jihad networks estimate that 120 have been killed up to now. The majority of those killed have come from the Northern and Central Province and 36 from the Eastern Province. A family in Dammam has lost three young members during the ongoing insurgency in Iraq.
"The story of Ahmad Abdullah Al-Shayea, a 21-year-old Saudi who confessed to driving a fuel truck that he blew up, killing 10 Iraqis last December, shows the degree of misguidance and delusion that has led some young Saudis into such pointless violence."
"The Syrian Role"
"Many sources have confirmed the Syrian role in the training and smuggling of these jihadis from Syria into Iraq. After harsh international criticism of Syria, more than 120 jihadis from the Gulf were arrested by Syrian authorities, some of whom were sent back to their countries. One of them, Abu Hamza Al-Tabukee, a famous Salafi-Jihadi member, was arrested with a 20-year-old Saudi last year."
"Many Sheikhs Work Hard to Convince Jihadis in Prison to Change Their Ideology"
"The numbers of those arrested before they were able to get to Iraq is not known, but many sheikhs are working hard to convince those jihadis in prison to change their ideology. Some of the young men refuse to listen since they argue that they are following the call of Jihad as written in the Qur'an and the Prophet's Hadith.
"When the war began in Iraq along with the accompanying call for Jihad, the feeling of danger was not felt until Al-Qa'ida began attacks in Saudi Arabia..."
"Jihad Has Become the Prime Method of Salvation in the Muslim World"
"The jihad scheme in general, which developed in the Islamic world during the last third of the twentieth century, has caused drastic changes in thought and ideology. Upon the collapse of communism and the resurgence of Islamic ideology, jihad as a fundamental concept became the number one method of salvation to overcome the weakness felt by Muslim nations.
"The so-called Jihad scheme actually has several names, and irrespective of the countries that the jihadis are coming from, the ideological methodology is almost the same. It is obvious that some of the countries have been pushed and were reluctantly involved in the scheme in one way or another. Their mistakes in doing so have generally produced the present dilemma. The Al-Qa'ida Battar training camp that was discovered by security forces outside Riyadh was set up more than a year ago around the same time as the beginning of the terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. The Battar camp focused and fed on the numerous disturbances and tensions related to geography, history, and thought in the Islamic world."
Transformation to a Moderate Islam Was Influenced by the Writings of Liberal Arab Intellectuals
"A month ago I visited Al-Rass, in northern Al-Qassim, where I spoke to very promising young minds that had shifted from their Islamic ideological background to a moderate type of Islam. This transformation [to a moderate type of Islam] was influenced by the writings of liberal Arab intellectuals.
"Political Islamic thought and classical Salafi preachers were the reason why a lot of young Saudis ended up as killers in Allah's name.
"In a very religious and intolerant environment, it is simple to change a young man from a state of emptiness into a killing machine. I couldn't imagine during my visit that Al-Rass' tranquility could be shattered for more than three days by dangerous terrorists similar in age to those I spoke to.
"The eighteen young Saudis involved in the deadly confrontation that began last Sunday are considered terrorists by most people, but they are also victims of the deadly ideology of jihad. The challenge of saving the hopes of the young Saudi generation is difficult, but without promoting openness and religious tolerance, the young generation will face a horrible risk before they can join in the global hopes and dreams of a better future."
________________________________________
[1] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 7, 2005.
"A Saudi Manhattan"
Columnist 'Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi wrote (Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), May 14, 2003.):
"…What many of the official sheikhs and columnists — who do not awaken until a catastrophe occurs — say about the phenomenon is inappropriate, and does not deal with the real causes and roots of the ideology of Jihad and of accusing [others] of heresy. They suffice by describing what took place as an imported ideology, and ignore the roots imprinted in our culture… Our religious message includes many phenomena of religious extremism. A quick glance at the Friday sermons in the mosques or at the Fatwas can attest to this…"
"The Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools… But even if we set aside the main reasons why the Jihad stream was formed, there are many other, selfish reasons… The Fatwas, for example, that are issued by the leaders of the Jihad stream, and even by the sheikhs of the Islamic awakening [stream] in the past two years, have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a legitimate basis for these acts. Some Fatwas justified September 11; other Fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the Fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield…"
"The important question is this: What must be done? Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today. Anyone who wants to attribute what happened to economic or psychological conditions is missing the truth. These conditions can account for the behavior of criminals, but cannot account for a terror event based on religious belief. Religious terror cannot be contained, because it is part of the religious belief of those who carry it out. What can be done with people who think that anyone who does not agree with their fundamentalist path deviates from the path of righteousness? Those who carry out these deeds are not victims, but criminals…"
"These events are not newborn in our society, as some would like to present them. It is enough to mention the bombings of 1996, and of 1997. Reactions to these events were diverse. What is important regarding this most recent event is that it must not push us towards further religious extremism, as has happened in the past. Further religious extremism will lead us to a 'Saudi Manhattan.'"
"I wrote this article a day before the three bombings [and following the arrest of an Al Qa'ida cell in Saudi Arabia about a week ago], and I am sorry to say that the Saudi Manhattan has indeed happened."
"…What many of the official sheikhs and columnists — who do not awaken until a catastrophe occurs — say about the phenomenon is inappropriate, and does not deal with the real causes and roots of the ideology of Jihad and of accusing [others] of heresy. They suffice by describing what took place as an imported ideology, and ignore the roots imprinted in our culture… Our religious message includes many phenomena of religious extremism. A quick glance at the Friday sermons in the mosques or at the Fatwas can attest to this…"
"The Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools… But even if we set aside the main reasons why the Jihad stream was formed, there are many other, selfish reasons… The Fatwas, for example, that are issued by the leaders of the Jihad stream, and even by the sheikhs of the Islamic awakening [stream] in the past two years, have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a legitimate basis for these acts. Some Fatwas justified September 11; other Fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the Fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield…"
"The important question is this: What must be done? Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today. Anyone who wants to attribute what happened to economic or psychological conditions is missing the truth. These conditions can account for the behavior of criminals, but cannot account for a terror event based on religious belief. Religious terror cannot be contained, because it is part of the religious belief of those who carry it out. What can be done with people who think that anyone who does not agree with their fundamentalist path deviates from the path of righteousness? Those who carry out these deeds are not victims, but criminals…"
"These events are not newborn in our society, as some would like to present them. It is enough to mention the bombings of 1996, and of 1997. Reactions to these events were diverse. What is important regarding this most recent event is that it must not push us towards further religious extremism, as has happened in the past. Further religious extremism will lead us to a 'Saudi Manhattan.'"
"I wrote this article a day before the three bombings [and following the arrest of an Al Qa'ida cell in Saudi Arabia about a week ago], and I am sorry to say that the Saudi Manhattan has indeed happened."
Adel Al Toraifi commentary on international Media
Smooth succession
"It is still not clear who will be named the deputy crown prince," said Saudi political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi in a phone interview from Riyadh. "They may leave the decision for later."
AL-AHRAM 4 - 10 August 2005 Issue No. 754
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/754/re1.htm
Saudi Islamists strike gold
"I anticipate that the government will appoint non-Islamists to balance the municipal councils," said Adel Al-Toraifi, in an interview with the Weekly.
"I think the government did not want to interfere and change anything in the outcome of these elections, as they knew they could re-balance the outcome when they appoint the remaining seats of all the councils," he added.
AL-AHRAM 28 April - 4 May 2005 Issue No. 740
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/740/re6.htm
In the Telegraph, Tim Butcher and Rasheed Abou-Alsamh (the latter writing from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia) quote 'Adel Al-Toraifi, a writer and political analyst in the capital, Riyadh, [who] said he did not believe that women would be allowed to drive or vote in the next five years. Such a change of policy would risk antagonising the ultra-conservatives, whose support of the royal family has been crucial to the longevity of their rule. Mr Al-Toraifi said: "If they allow women to drive and vote, it will spell the end of their control over the population and it would be too dangerous for them.'' '
Respects paid to newest monarch
Saudi political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi said a new generation of royals already is being groomed to take over when power passes to the next generation.
"Abdullah has appointed his son, Mutaab bin Abdullah, head of the National Guard, which is a very important post, nearly equivalent to that of minister of defense," Mr. Al-Toraifi said.
Prince Sultan has appointed his son, Khaled, deputy defense minister, and powerful Interior Minister Naif has appointed his son, Muhammad, deputy minister of interior. So there does seem to be some planning going on in the royal family after all," he said.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES August 4, 2005
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20050803-112025-7668r.htm
Saudis to select non-islamist
"I think the government will appoint non-Islamists to balance the municipal councils," Saudi political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi said.
"I think the government did not want to interfere and change anything in the outcome of these elections, as they knew that they could rebalance the outcome when they appointed the other halves of all the councils," he added.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20050425-093841-5129r.htm
http://saudielection.com/en/vb303/showthread.php?t=213&goto=nextoldest
Saudis act to ensure calm after king's death
However, Adel Al-Toraifi, a writer and political analyst in the capital, Riyadh, said he did not believe that women would be allowed to drive or vote in the next five years.
Such a change of policy would risk antagonising the ultra-conservatives, whose support of the royal family has been crucial to the longevity of their rule.
Wednesday 17 August 2005
Telegraph Group Limited
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/02/wfahd02.xml
Saudis Give Insurgents a Month to Surrender
Los Angeles Times/June 24, 2004
"The government fights in a religious way because they don't want to lose their legitimacy," said Adel Toraifi, a Saudi researcher and writer who specializes in militant movements. "The difference is so slight between the government and the terrorists, so they can return to society without major problems."
Abdullah pardons activists, lawyer
August 9, 2005
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
"The release of the three reformists was the right thing to do," said Riyadh-based political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi. "It will show those released that there is a new environment of change".
In Saudi Arabia, fresh recruits for Al Qaeda
"The picture the authorities had of Al Qaeda's strength in Saudi Arabia was not accurate. They have more sympathizers and fighters than they thought, and their language of violence continues to find takers here and support among a segment of Saudi society that shares the common religious ideology of Wahhabism," says Adel al-Toraifi, a columnist at the newspaper Al Watan.
"The problem is that we're not dealing with the extremist thought that makes these men fertile ground for the call to violence; we're only dealing with the violence," says Mr. Toraifi.
April 16, 2004 edition Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0416/p06s02-wome.html
Saudi Arabia: Vanishing Ink
In an Al-Watan op-ed (Aug. 6), Adel Zayd al-Tarifi focused on financial support for terrorism. “Money transfers were happening prior to Sept. 11 even in the United States itself before such problems were detected in other countries such as Saudi Arabia,” he said. “And terrorist organizations benefited from charity activities in Saudi Arabia…under a curtain of misrepresentation [of themselves].”
Worldpress.org
http://www.worldpress.org/print_article.cfm?article_id=1620&dont=yes
Al Qaeda terror riles Saudi public
"This is the third-generation of Al Qaeda fighters, and a lot of their leadership has been killed," says analyst Adel al-Toraifi, who follows the group closely. "There are fewer people to lead attacks."
"The following period could be more dangerous if disgruntled or disillusioned young men decide to carry out attacks on their own," says Toraifi.
June 21, 2004 edition
washingtonpost.com
Al Qaeda's Return Revives Iraq Debate
Fatal Bombings Also Trigger Saudi Soul-Searching
washingtonpost.com Staff
Thursday, May 15, 2003Saudi columnist Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi, writing in Al-Watan, a pro-government daily, says the problem is the Saudi educational system.
"The jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools. . . . Some fatwas [religious edicts] justified September 11; other fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' .. .Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today. Anyone who wants to attribute what happened to economic or psychological conditions is missing the truth."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59219-2003May15?language=printer
Saudi Spinning
In the daily al-Watan, immediately after the bombings, 'Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi wrote: "Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools . . . Fatwas, for example, that are issued by the leaders of the Jihad stream . . . have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a . . . basis for these acts. . . . During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the Fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield. . . . The important question is this: What must be done? Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today . . . What can be done with people who think that anyone who does not agree with their fundamentalist path deviates from the path of righteousness? These events are not newborn in our society, as some would like to present them."
05/16/2003
© Copyright 2004, News Corporation, Weekly Standard, All Rights Reserved.
Saudi Press: Initial Reactions to the Riyadh Bombings
Calls for Self-Examination
Following the bombings in Riyadh, some articles in the Saudi press called for criticism and reform of Saudi society. Columnist 'Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi wrote: "...What many of the official sheikhs and columnists - who do not awaken until a catastrophe occurs - say about the phenomenon is inappropriate, and does not deal with the real causes and roots of the ideology of Jihad and of accusing [others] of heresy. They suffice by describing what took place as an imported ideology, and ignore the roots imprinted in our culture... Our religious message includes many phenomena of religious extremism. A quick glance at the Friday sermons in the mosques or at the Fatwas can attest to this..."
"The Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools... But even if we set aside the main reasons why the Jihad stream was formed, there are many other, selfish reasons... The Fatwas, for example, that are issued by the leaders of the Jihad stream, and even by the sheikhs of the Islamic awakening [stream] in the past two years, have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a legitimate basis for these acts. Some Fatwas justified September 11; other Fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the Fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield..."
"The important question is this: What must be done? Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today. Anyone who wants to attribute what happened to economic or psychological conditions is missing the truth. These conditions can account for the behavior of criminals, but cannot account for a terror event based on religious belief. Religious terror cannot be contained, because it is part of the religious belief of those who carry it out. What can be done with people who think that anyone who does not agree with their fundamentalist path deviates from the path of righteousness? Those who carry out these deeds are not victims, but criminals..."
"These events are not newborn in our society, as some would like to present them. It is enough to mention the bombings of 1996, and of 1997. Reactions to these events were diverse. What is important regarding this most recent event is that it must not push us towards further religious extremism, as has happened in the past. Further religious extremism will lead us to a 'Saudi Manhattan.'"
"I wrote this article a day before the three bombings [and following the arrest of an Al Qa'ida cell in Saudi Arabia about a week ago], and I am sorry to say that the Saudi Manhattan has indeed happened."(
Special Dispatch, 15. Mai 2003
http://www.memri.de/uebersetzungen_analysen/laender/persischer_golf/saudi_riyadh_15_05_03.html
November 2003, pages 19-20
washingtonpost.com
Special Report
Who's Hiding What? Saudi Arabia and the Missing 28 Pages
Writing in al-Watan Aug. 6, Adel Zayd al-Tarifi pointed to Al-Bayoumi as another example of political spin, in part because he already had been interviewed before his return to Saudi Arabia from the U.S. In his al-Watan op-ed, al-Musa argued that it seemed suspicious that U.S. intelligence agencies trumped up Al-Bayoumi, when these very same agencies had released him and sent him back to Saudi Arabia with a plane ticket they had provided.
Argued Al-Tarifi in his al-Watan op-ed, "the issue of [rectifying] the funding of terrorism is dependent on a number of necessary supervisory controls over finances; money transfers were happening prior to Sept. 11 even in the U.S. itself before such problems were detected in other countries such as Saudi Arabia. And terrorist organizations benefited from charity activities in Saudi Arabia…under a curtain of misrepresentation [of themselves]."
As al-Tarifi summarized, if a country with very efficient administrative and security institutions such as the U.S. couldn't detect terrorist activities before the events of Sept. 11, then Saudi Arabia had no hope of doing so.
Finally, as al-Tarifi pointed out, the importance of this latest crisis in U.S.-Saudi relations over the missing 28 pages is that it is a matter of "reputation." Even if Saudi officials continue to maintain close ties with the White House and those government officials not politically motivated, he argued, Saudi Arabians are losing in the realm of American public opinion, and they need to reach out more and "explain themselves" better.
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/November_2003/0311019.html
NYtimes.com
March 7, 2004
The Jihadi Who Kept Asking Why
But Mansour is in a category of his own. As Adel al-Toraifi, a political-science student and friend of Mansour's, told me, ''Mansour has personally experienced almost every role in modern Saudi society'' -- from his painful childhood, to his long history with Islamic scholarship, to his experience as an extremist and his political reformation. ''So if you want to understand this period of transition in Saudi Arabia, and the debates about reform, you must study Mansour.''
As Adel al-Toraifi, Mansour's close friend explained, Mansour didn't change because he wanted music and wine and women. ''There is no politics in Mansour,'' he said. ''He didn't change because he found a new ideology. He changed from thinking deep inside Islam.''
Intellectuals and reformists in Saudi Arabia have now examined this Salafiyya movement and used these young radicals as examples to set forth a theory that traces the lineage of today's terrorists back to the early 20th century ''Brothers'' -- Bedouin tribesmen who embraced a Wahhabi revivalism so ferocious they were happy to die killing or converting other tribes as they conquered the peninsula. All Saudis know the story's ending: the Brothers revolted against the king who'd breathed life into them, and he slaughtered most of them. But in the 80's, the royal family resurrected the spirit of those ''Brothers'' during the ''Islamic Awakening,'' and exploited the resulting Salafiyya movement to spread Wahhabism around the world through mosques and Koranic schools and jihad. ''The famous leaders of the foreign jihadi groups in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Bosnia were Saudi,'' Adel al-Toraifi maintained. Bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri ''depends on fatwas from Wahhabi ideology. We must be honest. Wahhabism was a creator of violence since the beginning of its history.'' Yesterday's pious heroes are today's terrorists.
As unfathomable as it may be given the horrific events of Sept. 11, many Saudis -- even those who are progressive -- feel an ambivalent sympathy for this jihadi generation left over from Afghanistan -- militants, not unlike the Vietnam veterans, who have been hung out to dry by their government, unable to readjust to civilian life and left to stew in their habits of violence.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/magazine/07SAUDIS.html
"It is still not clear who will be named the deputy crown prince," said Saudi political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi in a phone interview from Riyadh. "They may leave the decision for later."
AL-AHRAM 4 - 10 August 2005 Issue No. 754
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/754/re1.htm
Saudi Islamists strike gold
"I anticipate that the government will appoint non-Islamists to balance the municipal councils," said Adel Al-Toraifi, in an interview with the Weekly.
"I think the government did not want to interfere and change anything in the outcome of these elections, as they knew they could re-balance the outcome when they appoint the remaining seats of all the councils," he added.
AL-AHRAM 28 April - 4 May 2005 Issue No. 740
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/740/re6.htm
In the Telegraph, Tim Butcher and Rasheed Abou-Alsamh (the latter writing from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia) quote 'Adel Al-Toraifi, a writer and political analyst in the capital, Riyadh, [who] said he did not believe that women would be allowed to drive or vote in the next five years. Such a change of policy would risk antagonising the ultra-conservatives, whose support of the royal family has been crucial to the longevity of their rule. Mr Al-Toraifi said: "If they allow women to drive and vote, it will spell the end of their control over the population and it would be too dangerous for them.'' '
Respects paid to newest monarch
Saudi political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi said a new generation of royals already is being groomed to take over when power passes to the next generation.
"Abdullah has appointed his son, Mutaab bin Abdullah, head of the National Guard, which is a very important post, nearly equivalent to that of minister of defense," Mr. Al-Toraifi said.
Prince Sultan has appointed his son, Khaled, deputy defense minister, and powerful Interior Minister Naif has appointed his son, Muhammad, deputy minister of interior. So there does seem to be some planning going on in the royal family after all," he said.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES August 4, 2005
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20050803-112025-7668r.htm
Saudis to select non-islamist
"I think the government will appoint non-Islamists to balance the municipal councils," Saudi political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi said.
"I think the government did not want to interfere and change anything in the outcome of these elections, as they knew that they could rebalance the outcome when they appointed the other halves of all the councils," he added.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20050425-093841-5129r.htm
http://saudielection.com/en/vb303/showthread.php?t=213&goto=nextoldest
Saudis act to ensure calm after king's death
However, Adel Al-Toraifi, a writer and political analyst in the capital, Riyadh, said he did not believe that women would be allowed to drive or vote in the next five years.
Such a change of policy would risk antagonising the ultra-conservatives, whose support of the royal family has been crucial to the longevity of their rule.
Wednesday 17 August 2005
Telegraph Group Limited
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/02/wfahd02.xml
Saudis Give Insurgents a Month to Surrender
Los Angeles Times/June 24, 2004
"The government fights in a religious way because they don't want to lose their legitimacy," said Adel Toraifi, a Saudi researcher and writer who specializes in militant movements. "The difference is so slight between the government and the terrorists, so they can return to society without major problems."
Abdullah pardons activists, lawyer
August 9, 2005
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
"The release of the three reformists was the right thing to do," said Riyadh-based political analyst Adel Al-Toraifi. "It will show those released that there is a new environment of change".
In Saudi Arabia, fresh recruits for Al Qaeda
"The picture the authorities had of Al Qaeda's strength in Saudi Arabia was not accurate. They have more sympathizers and fighters than they thought, and their language of violence continues to find takers here and support among a segment of Saudi society that shares the common religious ideology of Wahhabism," says Adel al-Toraifi, a columnist at the newspaper Al Watan.
"The problem is that we're not dealing with the extremist thought that makes these men fertile ground for the call to violence; we're only dealing with the violence," says Mr. Toraifi.
April 16, 2004 edition Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0416/p06s02-wome.html
Saudi Arabia: Vanishing Ink
In an Al-Watan op-ed (Aug. 6), Adel Zayd al-Tarifi focused on financial support for terrorism. “Money transfers were happening prior to Sept. 11 even in the United States itself before such problems were detected in other countries such as Saudi Arabia,” he said. “And terrorist organizations benefited from charity activities in Saudi Arabia…under a curtain of misrepresentation [of themselves].”
Worldpress.org
http://www.worldpress.org/print_article.cfm?article_id=1620&dont=yes
Al Qaeda terror riles Saudi public
"This is the third-generation of Al Qaeda fighters, and a lot of their leadership has been killed," says analyst Adel al-Toraifi, who follows the group closely. "There are fewer people to lead attacks."
"The following period could be more dangerous if disgruntled or disillusioned young men decide to carry out attacks on their own," says Toraifi.
June 21, 2004 edition
washingtonpost.com
Al Qaeda's Return Revives Iraq Debate
Fatal Bombings Also Trigger Saudi Soul-Searching
washingtonpost.com Staff
Thursday, May 15, 2003Saudi columnist Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi, writing in Al-Watan, a pro-government daily, says the problem is the Saudi educational system.
"The jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools. . . . Some fatwas [religious edicts] justified September 11; other fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' .. .Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today. Anyone who wants to attribute what happened to economic or psychological conditions is missing the truth."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59219-2003May15?language=printer
Saudi Spinning
In the daily al-Watan, immediately after the bombings, 'Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi wrote: "Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools . . . Fatwas, for example, that are issued by the leaders of the Jihad stream . . . have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a . . . basis for these acts. . . . During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the Fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield. . . . The important question is this: What must be done? Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today . . . What can be done with people who think that anyone who does not agree with their fundamentalist path deviates from the path of righteousness? These events are not newborn in our society, as some would like to present them."
05/16/2003
© Copyright 2004, News Corporation, Weekly Standard, All Rights Reserved.
Saudi Press: Initial Reactions to the Riyadh Bombings
Calls for Self-Examination
Following the bombings in Riyadh, some articles in the Saudi press called for criticism and reform of Saudi society. Columnist 'Adel Zaid Al-Tarifi wrote: "...What many of the official sheikhs and columnists - who do not awaken until a catastrophe occurs - say about the phenomenon is inappropriate, and does not deal with the real causes and roots of the ideology of Jihad and of accusing [others] of heresy. They suffice by describing what took place as an imported ideology, and ignore the roots imprinted in our culture... Our religious message includes many phenomena of religious extremism. A quick glance at the Friday sermons in the mosques or at the Fatwas can attest to this..."
"The Jihad groups find ideological cover in the religious message spread by the mosques and schools... But even if we set aside the main reasons why the Jihad stream was formed, there are many other, selfish reasons... The Fatwas, for example, that are issued by the leaders of the Jihad stream, and even by the sheikhs of the Islamic awakening [stream] in the past two years, have inflamed the emotions of many and provided a legitimate basis for these acts. Some Fatwas justified September 11; other Fatwas depicted these events as 'blessed [Islamic] raids.' During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the Fatwas sent many wretched young men to the hopeless battlefield..."
"The important question is this: What must be done? Many of the pulpits of education, such as the school, the home, and the mosque, need reform today. Anyone who wants to attribute what happened to economic or psychological conditions is missing the truth. These conditions can account for the behavior of criminals, but cannot account for a terror event based on religious belief. Religious terror cannot be contained, because it is part of the religious belief of those who carry it out. What can be done with people who think that anyone who does not agree with their fundamentalist path deviates from the path of righteousness? Those who carry out these deeds are not victims, but criminals..."
"These events are not newborn in our society, as some would like to present them. It is enough to mention the bombings of 1996, and of 1997. Reactions to these events were diverse. What is important regarding this most recent event is that it must not push us towards further religious extremism, as has happened in the past. Further religious extremism will lead us to a 'Saudi Manhattan.'"
"I wrote this article a day before the three bombings [and following the arrest of an Al Qa'ida cell in Saudi Arabia about a week ago], and I am sorry to say that the Saudi Manhattan has indeed happened."(
Special Dispatch, 15. Mai 2003
http://www.memri.de/uebersetzungen_analysen/laender/persischer_golf/saudi_riyadh_15_05_03.html
November 2003, pages 19-20
washingtonpost.com
Special Report
Who's Hiding What? Saudi Arabia and the Missing 28 Pages
Writing in al-Watan Aug. 6, Adel Zayd al-Tarifi pointed to Al-Bayoumi as another example of political spin, in part because he already had been interviewed before his return to Saudi Arabia from the U.S. In his al-Watan op-ed, al-Musa argued that it seemed suspicious that U.S. intelligence agencies trumped up Al-Bayoumi, when these very same agencies had released him and sent him back to Saudi Arabia with a plane ticket they had provided.
Argued Al-Tarifi in his al-Watan op-ed, "the issue of [rectifying] the funding of terrorism is dependent on a number of necessary supervisory controls over finances; money transfers were happening prior to Sept. 11 even in the U.S. itself before such problems were detected in other countries such as Saudi Arabia. And terrorist organizations benefited from charity activities in Saudi Arabia…under a curtain of misrepresentation [of themselves]."
As al-Tarifi summarized, if a country with very efficient administrative and security institutions such as the U.S. couldn't detect terrorist activities before the events of Sept. 11, then Saudi Arabia had no hope of doing so.
Finally, as al-Tarifi pointed out, the importance of this latest crisis in U.S.-Saudi relations over the missing 28 pages is that it is a matter of "reputation." Even if Saudi officials continue to maintain close ties with the White House and those government officials not politically motivated, he argued, Saudi Arabians are losing in the realm of American public opinion, and they need to reach out more and "explain themselves" better.
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/November_2003/0311019.html
NYtimes.com
March 7, 2004
The Jihadi Who Kept Asking Why
But Mansour is in a category of his own. As Adel al-Toraifi, a political-science student and friend of Mansour's, told me, ''Mansour has personally experienced almost every role in modern Saudi society'' -- from his painful childhood, to his long history with Islamic scholarship, to his experience as an extremist and his political reformation. ''So if you want to understand this period of transition in Saudi Arabia, and the debates about reform, you must study Mansour.''
As Adel al-Toraifi, Mansour's close friend explained, Mansour didn't change because he wanted music and wine and women. ''There is no politics in Mansour,'' he said. ''He didn't change because he found a new ideology. He changed from thinking deep inside Islam.''
Intellectuals and reformists in Saudi Arabia have now examined this Salafiyya movement and used these young radicals as examples to set forth a theory that traces the lineage of today's terrorists back to the early 20th century ''Brothers'' -- Bedouin tribesmen who embraced a Wahhabi revivalism so ferocious they were happy to die killing or converting other tribes as they conquered the peninsula. All Saudis know the story's ending: the Brothers revolted against the king who'd breathed life into them, and he slaughtered most of them. But in the 80's, the royal family resurrected the spirit of those ''Brothers'' during the ''Islamic Awakening,'' and exploited the resulting Salafiyya movement to spread Wahhabism around the world through mosques and Koranic schools and jihad. ''The famous leaders of the foreign jihadi groups in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Bosnia were Saudi,'' Adel al-Toraifi maintained. Bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri ''depends on fatwas from Wahhabi ideology. We must be honest. Wahhabism was a creator of violence since the beginning of its history.'' Yesterday's pious heroes are today's terrorists.
As unfathomable as it may be given the horrific events of Sept. 11, many Saudis -- even those who are progressive -- feel an ambivalent sympathy for this jihadi generation left over from Afghanistan -- militants, not unlike the Vietnam veterans, who have been hung out to dry by their government, unable to readjust to civilian life and left to stew in their habits of violence.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/magazine/07SAUDIS.html
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