There has recently been an alarming increase in violence within Saudi society, something that led members of the public to call on the authorities for solutions to remedy the problem, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
Clips of people carrying out violent attacks often become viral via social media networks. The clips indicate that some sections of society are resorting to unjustifiable violence to deal with everyday problems.
Recent clips that went viral include that of a student killing a classmate, a student running over another student and a parent who stabbed a teacher in the neck.
The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has warned against the problem, underscoring that people are increasingly becoming intolerant. Dr. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, faculty member at Umm Al-Qura University, said some members of society are oblivious to the impact of words.
“Intolerance has become prevalent in society. People don't want to forgive and forget; they don't want to let go of grudges. That's why they translate this anger into violence,” said Al-Ghamdi.
It is this intolerance that results in men beating their wives and parents beating their children, said Al-Ghamdi, adding that being violent every time something goes wrong has a dangerous effect on children.
Dr. Hassan Al-Nemi, a faculty member at King Abdulaziz University, said that people have a tendency to be rude to each other when conversing or disagreeing on issues over social media.
“Members of the public are in dire need of a national strategy that lays down foundations of how to speak to each other politely. People need to understand the importance of speaking politely to one another and be more accepting of each other's opinions,” said Al-Nemi.
“Government agencies and civil institutions should work together to tackle the social, cultural and psychological dimensions of the problem and formulate a national strategy,” he said, adding that the public should be invited to help design the strategy.
Al-Nemi also criticized school curricula for not teaching children how to respect each other and differences of opinion. “Universities should enhance the culture of tolerance among members of society by inviting eminent figures to talk about the virtues of tolerance. Parents should instill values of tolerance in the minds of their children at an early age,” he said.
Dr. Salih Al-Khathlan, deputy chairman of NSHR, said some people misuse social media websites and disrespect others without the knowledge that what they are doing could land them in trouble.
“Many are not aware of the legal consequences of infringing on the rights of others via social media. The authorities should raise public awareness about this so people don't end up in court and consequently fined or imprisoned,” he said.
Al-Khathlan said the NSHR receives complaints from government agencies that accuse some people of using improper and offensive language when talking to government officials.
“The problem lies in the fact that some people have ended up in prison over this because the law doesn't differentiate between incitement and sedition, and the right to express an opinion,” said Al-Khathlan.
The Kingdom is signatory of several global agreements and treaties that give individuals the right to criticize the performance of government departments without being offensive, he said, adding that the authorities should raise awareness about the importance of tolerating different views and speaking or interacting in an amicable way.
