May 14, 2003

The Saudi's seem to get it

The recent bombing in Riyadh may have woken up the Saudi's like 9-11 did the US. This from an Arab News editorial:

It goes without saying that those responsible, those who poisoned the minds of the bombers, those who are planning to become bombers, must be tracked down and crushed--remorselessly and utterly. But crushing them 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 Sept. 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.

We cannot say that suicide bombings in Israel and Russia are acceptable but not in Saudi Arabia. The cult of suicide bombings has to stop. So too has the chattering, malicious, vindictive hate propaganda. It has provided a fertile ground for ignorance and hatred to grow.

If this proves genuine, it could be the beginning of the end for terrorism. It might also prove to be the start of ultimate peace in the Middle East. Sometimes your enemy does something that does more to rally your allies than to defeat them.

Posted by Ted at May 14, 2003 7:52 PM