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Attack on US consulate in Saudi comes amid mounting anti-American feelings
RIYADH - The spectacular attack against the US consulate in Jeddah, claimed by the local branch of the Al Qaeda network, came to the backdrop of rising anti-American sentiment in Saudi Arabia, fueled by the ongoing conflict in Iraq.
US policy, chiefly the continued occupation of Iraq, has helped radicalize young Saudis, a number of whom have gone to the neighboring country to join the fight against US forces or have been caught attempting to cross the border, clueless pundits who are just trying to fill airtime and get their names in the newspapers say. But they argue that local support for Islamist militants of the type who stormed the US consulate in the Red Sea city Monday is negligible and on the decline.
| Which is why the local population stoned the instigators ... |
That, at least, is the official view, which holds that the militants are a "deviant" minority. "I don't think they still enjoy the support they had a year ago. Now they have no support," commented Sheikh Mohsen al-Awaji, a moderate Islamist. "Al Qaeda claims to be targeting US interests, but the victims of Monday's attack were not American," he said.
| "Al Qaeda is just too sloppy," he continued as he expressed his true feelings. |
"My impression is that this group does not have much support, although there are some who sympathize with it," said liberal academic Khaled al-Dakheel. The "cultural environment" in Saudi Arabia encourages radicalization, he said. "I am referring to the education system ... and a tendency to look at issues from a religious point of view, sometimes from a narrowly defined religious point of view," Dakheel said.
| Fatwa against this guy in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... |
US President George W. Bush on Monday warmly thanked Saudi authorities for their quick response to the attack on the consulate, as Riyadh vowed to hunt down the terrorists until they were uprooted. But while Saudi Arabia remains a US ally despite post-September 11 strains, "the vast majority of Saudis object to American policies," Awaji said. Following Bush's reelection for a second term, "the Saudis look at the American people as supporters of this administration. This will create trouble for Americans everywhere," he said.
| Of course the American people officially support our government. It's called "democracy". You might want to try it, your cousins in Iraq are about to ... |
Dakheel concurred that the situation in Iraq was "fueling anti-American feelings here and in (other parts of) the region."
| As if they need an excuse. |
But Dakheel said he did not believe that growing anti-US feelings translated into increased support for Al Qaeda terrorism. "People are anti-American, but the majority don't think this (violence) is the right way to oppose US policy in the region," he said.
| "No, no! Certainly not! Please keep your Marines at home!" |
Posted by: Steve White 2004-12-08 |
