ISIS supporters in the delivery room! (Turki Al-Dakhil, Al Arabiya)

We should be thankful that the Friday’s terrorist attackon Imam Rida mosque – located in the Mahasen neighborhood of al-Ahsa region in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia – failed to achieve what it was intended for. If the attack had gone according to plan, the loss of lives and damages would have been far worse.

The Board of Senior Ulemacondemned the attack and said that remaining silent in the wake of such heinous crimes is not an option. The late King Abdullah once said: “He who remains silent over these (terrorist) people’s acts is one of them.” Some of those who remain silent are in fact supporters of ISIS and are waiting to be born.

ISIS is trying to incite strife between Shiites and Sunnis in Saudi Arabia

Turki Al-Dakhil

ISIS wants to force Shiites in Saudi Arabia away from their homeland by targeting them and pushing them to join certain elements outside of the country. However, it will not succeed at doing so.

It will not succeed because the Saudi Arabia will defend its land by standing against the enemy and its organizations. In 2001, the al-Qaeda strategy was to exploit Saudis and use them for marginal roles in the Sept. 11 terror attacks with the aim of harming Saudi-American relations.

Creating the divide

Today, the ISIS is doing the same by trying to incite strife between Shiite and Sunni Saudis. They are trying to create rift between Shiites and the Saudi state.

When Juhayman al-Otaybi’s group stormed the Grand Mosque in 1979, Islamic scholar Mohammad Nasiruddin al-Albani condemned the attack against worshippers. “This is a crime even if carried out in the desert, let alone in the house of God.”

In the year 1994, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the intellectual godfather of al-Qaeda, authorized for terror groups to target mosques and worshipers. In other words, they have targeted everything Islam seeks to protect, the self, faith, dignity, intelligence and resources.

What caliphate do they speak of? Which doctrine do they defend? “May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?”
 

This article was first published by Okaz newspaper on Jan. 31, 2016. 

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Turki Al-Dakhil is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. He began his career as a print journalist, covering politics and culture for the Saudi newspapers Okaz, Al-Riyadh and Al-Watan. He then moved to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat and pan-Arab news magazine Al-Majalla. Turki later became a radio correspondent for the French-owned pan-Arab Radio Monte Carlo and MBC FM. He proceeded to Elaph, an online news magazine and Alarabiya.net, the news channel’s online platform. Over a ten-year period, Dakhil’s weekly Al Arabiya talk show “Edaat” (Spotlights) provided an opportunity for proponents of Arab and Islamic social reform to make their case to a mass audience. Turki also owns Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre and Madarek Publishing House in Dubai. He has received several awards and honors, including the America Abroad Media annual award for his role in supporting civil society, human rights and advancing women’s roles in Gulf societies. He tweets @TurkiAldakhil.