Many of us still remember Muhammad Bakur Baranawee, a schoolteacher who was stabbed to death by one of his students. We also remember the Al-Ahsa teacher who was stabbed by a parent but then miraculously survived and the principal in Asir who was also stabbed. There are also countless horrible examples of students fighting with one another using blades. Two young men recently stabbed a friend of mine in a park following an argument. He was stabbed five times, but, fortunately, he survived. I also recently read that the police arrested 15 young men for possessing knives at a football match. They were carrying knives in case they got into a fight with fans from another team. Why do our young men carry knives? Social media and TV are full of videos showing Muslims killing other Muslims in the name of religion and for trivial reasons. Anger makes the mind lose its sense of rationality. By the time the killer realizes what he has done, it is too late. The first thing a killer might say to himself after killing another person is: “I wish I hadn't had a knife.” Having a knife or a gun when angry results in horrors. We know what the outcome is going to be when teenagers carry weapons. They fail to understand the consequences of their actions. Violent movies and console games have brainwashed them. A teacher told me that the school where he works bought a metal detector to ensure that students do not bring knives to school. Detectors are not expensive and cost around SR200. I am sure that if teachers were to carry out spot checks on pupils, they would find all sorts of weapons. Nobody knows when students will use knives and who the next victim will be. Will it be a teacher, a student, a worker or a passerby? This is a precarious situation that needs urgent action. We should not stand by and let it continue. Strict and even draconian measures should be taken to curb the possession of knives. Parents must talk to their sons and explain the enormity of the problem and ensure that their sons are not hiding knives or blades in their school bags. Two weeks ago, I found a small knife in my son's backpack and when I asked him about it, he pretended he didn't know anything about it. I talked to the school principal and told him what happened and even gave him the green light to frisk my son, go through his belongings and punish him if he finds anything that could be used as a weapon. Schools should educate students about this in the morning assembly, in classes and during extracurricular activities. Mosques should call attention to this serious problem and talk about it during Friday sermons. The media should play a bigger role in highlighting this problem. This is a grave matter. If a person is killed, we feel very sorry for him and also sad for the killer who will most likely be executed. Families will also suffer a lot, especially the killer's family who will have to race against time, begging others to help them pay hefty blood money for the victim's family should the latter agree to accept it. The Interior Ministry should pass a law criminalizing the unnecessary possession of knives. The Education Ministry should also expel students caught carrying knives. Only strict laws can stop this.
