A video clip posted on YouTube shows a young man in Syria calling for Jihad. — Okaz photo Nader Al-Enezi Okaz/Saudi Gazette
TABUK/MAKKAH – A number of scholars, intellectuals and academics have warned the Saudi youth against listening to calls for Jihad in Syria to prevent a similar mistake some youngsters made when they went to Afghanistan and Iraq in the past heeding such calls. Dr. Hatim Al-Awni, a member of Shoura Council, said those who try to deceive the youth and encourage them to go to Syria for Jihad should be stopped. “They prey on the feelings of young men who want to help the oppressed Syrians. Many a young man fell for this trick and went to Afghanistan and Iraq for the same purpose and ended up in prison. The same fate awaits those young men who listen to calls for Jihad in Syria,” he said. In Al-Awni's opinion, support for the Syrian people should come only through official Saudi channels. He also believes that there are courageous men among the Syrian people who will achieve their demands for freedom, dignity and justice. “Those brave men need support through official channels,” he added. Abdullah Al-Harthy, director of student extracurricular activities at Tabuk Schools, said the Syrian people need “our supplications and prayers as well as financial aid.” “The youth should be careful not to go to Syria in the name of Jihad as they might get involved with organizations that have hidden motives,” he warned. Sheikh Khalid Al-Rumaih, secretary general of the International Association for New Muslims, said Jihad has several conditions. “One of the conditions is that its object and purpose should be clear. Currently, this condition has not been satisfied as the situation in Syria is still shrouded and unclear. Young men are not advised to go there.” Dr. Sadaqa Fadhil, a professor of political science at King Abdulaziz University, said there are many suicidal groups in the Arab World that call themselves Jihadis. These groups take advantage of turbulent situations in some countries and sneak into them to join the fighting. They don't have clear objectives or policies and they just engage in fighting and sacrifice their lives. “We've seen this happening in several countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen. It's Syria's turn now. The political situation in Syria is susceptible to more chaos and destruction,” Fadhil said. Najeeb Yamani, a writer, believes that some youngsters have been brainwashed like thousands of young men before them who went for Jihad in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other parts of the world. Yamani called for stopping those who encourage the youth to go for Jihad in Syria. “We should stop them or else Syria will be another Afghanistan and we will pay another hefty price for this matter.” The government did the right thing when it did not allow some religious scholars and Dawa activists to get involved in the donation campaign organized by the Kingdom to support the Syrian people, Yamani noted. The government should prevent those who call for Jihad from delivering speeches at mosques. Dr. Salih Bin Sabaan said the situation in Syria has gone out of control and some groups are trying to turn the country into another Afghanistan and are encouraging young men to go there for Jihad. Those responsible for this should be held accountable for the needless loss of innocent civilians. It is high time “we took action” to put an end to this situation. — Ahmad Al-Afifi and Muhammad Sameeh contributed to this report
