Following the "failed" attempts to assassinate Prince Mohammad Ben Nayef, I wrote an article titled: "The Implications of Targeting Mohammad Ben Nayef". I concluded the article by saying that the solution to face the terrorists and those sympathizing with and supporting them requires a national action that goes beyond holding a dialogue and counseling them in terms of its power and influence. In other words, there should be an accurate investigation to learn about the motives and grounds that influence very young people and brainwash them, and thus turn them from traditional young people to suicidal ghosts. In addition, it is important to renew our rhetoric toward reconciling with ourselves and being tolerant with others. Otherwise, terrorism will continue to exist among us and will generate more terrorists. Ever since terrorism hit the Kingdom in 2003, many – including myself – have stressed the need to activate the role of the mosque, home, and school, and to establish them on the basis of reconciliation and tolerance. We also called for imposing a responsible censorship in order to correct the misconceptions of the youths, so as to build a healthy society that repudiates violence, unilateralism, exclusion, and xenophobia. The memories of violence are painful and sad, and the news of killings, abuse, assassinations, and clashes create a bitter feeling in souls and inject them with pain, sadness, frustration, and terrorism. The Kingdom's efforts in deterring terrorism and foiling the plans and intentions of the terrorists are clear and tangible at the domestic and international levels. The number of terrorist operations in the Kingdom during 2003-2008 according to available information is 258 operations, 194 of which were thwarted, while only 64 were perpetrated at varying levels. These figures reveal the rigidity of the security efforts, but they do not reveal the effectiveness of the popular and ideological efforts that should be associated with the security efforts. The state cannot break the bone of extremism and radicalism through security confrontation alone no matter what. This requires actions from the society and the concerned official institutions so that the combined efforts make clear changes. In parallel, reform processes in the educational and popular cultural environments should be introduced. In order for the Saudi efforts in combating terrorism to succeed and for the security success to continue, popular and official effort should unite in what would be described as a "national epic" which has a reference that is tasked with studying and following up and assessing the efforts from time to time, as well as highlighting the obstacles. I here believe that the National Security Council can undertake this mission, especially if it was equipped with qualified cadres that are able to understand the domestic and external political and economic and security circumstances. These cadres should be able to conduct strategic studies for anything that influences the country's security, and enable the council to communicate directly with the media and hold monthly forums and workshops to be attended by experts who speak a direct and untraditional language. As such, the council can come up with proposals and recommendations that should be later distributed to concerned parties, with them being binding and enforceable. Whenever the foiling of an act of sabotage is announced, or the capture of wanted people, some believe that the country has managed to overcome the terrorists and demolish their sources of financing. But soon they discover once again, through the statements of the Interior Ministry, that they still have access to funds and weapons, and that the charitable work is being manipulated, especially with the terrorists' ability to come up with new plans to hide and deceive. They are also able to recruit new members, some of whom are awake while others are sleepers, who sympathize psychologically and logistically with each other, and their mission is to plan to hit the state institutions, undermine the security and stability of the society, and burn its property and earnings. However, it is worthwhile to ask and look into the reasons behind which the Saudi youths are spread in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chechnya, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Indonesia, as though our youths are custodians on other nations and responsible for their reform! We should study and investigate the reasons and causes of terrorism. Is it due to poor living conditions, the rise in unemployment rates, the frustration that spreads among youths, or the presence of active influential climates and weak citizenship values? We have to look for the reasons that push a young man like Abdullah Usairi to turn into a suicide bomber, by placing an explosive device in his back, in order to eradicate others and intimidate and terrorize the society! There are many questions that need answers. This means that the country is still not facing terrorism with collective and united efforts. Contrary to the clear security efforts, other official and popular efforts still lack accuracy, because the rhetoric used in the war on terrorism is still a repeated traditional and poetic, one that cannot influenced those who were brainwashed and who decided to spill the blood of the others, with the assumption that he will win heaven and embrace the Houris.
