“AISHA Al-Hurra” mother of Abi Abdullah, the last of the Arab kings of Andalusia, said to her son, who was crying while bidding farewell to his city of Cordoba: Cry like women for a kingdom you did not keep like men!

I told my young colleague, reporter Fahad Al-Harthi, this story, as I explained why each and everyone should fight to defend a homeland under siege, just like the Arab kingdoms in Andalusia were. And like then, Arab traitors stood with our mutual enemy in the hope they would be given bits and pieces of our land and treasure.

Some activists may fool you into the belief that their cause is noble. Freedom, democracy, right of expression are all noble principles worth fighting for. But are their intentions pure and true? Do they really, truly dedicate their lives and energy to provide you with a platform to practice your freedom of expression? Or is there a hidden agenda?

Try them out. Give them the same platform to criticize their nations, cultures and leaders. Cast some doubts about their beliefs and imams. They might allow you some leeway in the beginning, but, soon enough, they will turn against you, and cut you short. They have their sacred and redlines, too, and want you to cross yours, not theirs.

They are not here for you, but for them. Your country is an oasis of peace and prosperity in the mid of their burning desert. It wasn’t like that before. For ages, you lived in wasteland and they enjoyed paradise on earth. But you created your oasis, and they destroyed theirs. You developed your nation and they brought it down. Now, they want you to account for their mistakes, and pay for their sins.

Arabs and Persians have had their own great kingdoms one day. Seventy years ago, all around lived people far ahead of us in every earthly measure. They were more rich, educated, secured and civilized. Then, the viruses of change came from the West, East and within. Revolutions swept over the region. Soldiers with heavy boots and light heads ruled, then came the mullahs. We survived the turmoil, not for lack of similar attempts, but for strong leadership and loyal people. Today, we are ahead in every measure, spiritual and earthly.

The next hellish storm came under the banner of change was called the “Arab Spring.” Again foreign hands joined Arab traitors to remake our world. They succeeded to bring down the old order in their fake republics, but not in our genuine kingdoms. Once they had their dreams realized, and ruled their nations with foreign backing, they failed miserably. And whom they choose to blame? Us! So, instead of remaking their countries, they want to remake ours. Instead of generating their own fortunes, they choose to steal our own.

So, dear brothers, we are facing the moment of reckoning where we should either wake up to the conspiracies and dangers around us or risk losing all what we and our ancestors fought to build and secure. Our castle is under intense attacks from many directions. The last thing we could afford to tolerate is a “Trojan Horse,” a “fifth column,” among us.

On our National Day, we need to be all soldiers defending our land, as much as building it. The war against us is not just rockets and bombs, it is also ideas and thoughts. Weakening our solidarity and turning us against each other is highest among their goals. Racism and sectarianism are the enemy’s most affective tools to destroy us from the inside. They want each one of us to feel superior and unequal to others. Instead of fighting them, we fight amongst ourselves to prove who is atop. This way we lose our sense of Islamic and national brotherhood. The next step is another so-called “Arab Spring,” that what make us vulnerable to their hegemony and control.

I told my young friend: Today we are at the final stages of the plot. Thanks to Allah, we are set and ready to face them. We are aware that the security we have has a price, not to be paid by soldiers alone. The first guard is an aware and patriotic citizen. The “Arab Kingdoms” are united, this time. They learned only too well the Andalusia lesson. Our peoples learned too from the “Arab Spring” example. The face of the enemy is revealed and the scheme is exposed. The one answer they will hear on this day and beyond: There is no black and white, tribal and no-tribal, Sunni and Shiite, Najdi and Hijazi, conservative and liberal in the Land of Islam: We are one!

— Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at kbatarfi@gmail.com. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi