JEDDAH — Many suspected Saudi militants have subscribed to Daesh ideas of an Islamic caliphate and wanted to participate in jihad in Iraq and Syria but they have not joined the terror group yet, according to Abdul Monem Al-Moshaweh, chairman of Assakeena Campaign.
He said some of these youths have adopted the takfiri ideology, which brands those who do not agree with it as infidels. “They have expressed their desire to contribute toward realizing the Islamic khilafat and to support weak Muslim communities,” Al-Moshaweh said.
Speaking to Makkah Arabic daily, Al-Moshaweh said many militants joined the terrorist group in order to find out the truth or just to experience the thrill of fighting. “They did not listen to anti-terrorism awareness programs and media campaigns,” he pointed out.
Al-Moshaweh said terrorist groups have found it easy to recruit young Saudis who subscribe to extremist views and believe in violence through their social networking websites.
However, Al-Moshaweh pointed out that some of these militants were ready for dialogue and discussions and could renounce their extremist thoughts either partly or fully. “We have found that terrorist groups influence these youths and turn them to armed terrorists.”
He said the Kingdom’s security agencies have been successful in defeating terrorism by cutting the link between terrorist leaders and their sympathizers. The Assakeena Campaign has been successful in changing the mindset of militants and bringing them back to the mainstream as responsible citizens.
The campaign has conducted dialogues with young Saudi men and women to convince them to change from the terrorist path.
"Most of them are convinced and wanted to change, but they fear for their safety,” he said. “Many of them were influenced by extremist ideology propagated through websites.”
He said the preemptive efforts of security forces were pivotal in foiling many terrorist operations across the Kingdom. “The two terrorists who killed their mother in Riyadh were prepared to carry out any acts of violence anywhere in the Kingdom,” Al-Moshaweh said.
“An individual who can kill his mother will not hesitate to commit any crime,” he pointed out. “In 2016, like 2013, terrorist groups succeeded in recruiting a large number of youths who were not linked to any of the terror networks.”
Al-Moshaweh said: “Some of these youths say they don’t have any connection to Daesh or Al-Qaeda. At the same time, they share the thoughts and views of these groups.”
He said Assakina has given answers to four difficult questions on how to combat terror, especially after the recent terrorist attacks in the Kingdom.
