Volunteers stand guard at a mosque in Dammam

DAMMAM — A number of security guards volunteered to stand guard at a mosque in Dammam and protect people from any potential harm while performing Eid prayers, Al-Riyadh daily reported. The young men wanted to send out a loud and clear message to the world saying “Saudi people stand hand in hand with the government to protect all religious locations and property”. The guards, who work for a security company in Al-Khobar, were not frightened at all and decided to protect people with their souls and prevent any potential terrorist attack. Tariq Al-Dawsari, one of the volunteers, said they took this initiative after seeing security officers in Madinah sacrificing their lives to protect the Prophet’s Mosque. “The sight of the martyred officers gave my colleagues and me the strength and desire to volunteer and protect our brothers and sisters who wanted to perform Eid prayer. We are ready to put our lives on line and even sacrifice our souls to protect the Houses of Allah. We want security officers to realize that we are all on the same boat and that the officers who died as martyrs are like brothers to us,” he said. Security guards know how to use weapons because they get intensive training when they join a security company. Also, the Ministry of Interior has required all security companies to provide such training to security guards to enhance security services offered to banks, businesses, and other facilities.