Saudi Arabia has been successful in changing the idological thinking of more than 250 Al-Qaeda sympathizers, the Kingdom's Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said yesterday.
| I dropped three inches from my waistline by drinking lite beer today... |
"We have reached out to them and have succeeded in convincing more than 250 to change their ways," he said, speaking of his ministry's counterterrorism program conducted over the Internet. The program includes direct counseling as well as a hotline for families who are worried that their sons may be drawn toward the Al-Qaeda terror network.
| And I've got to get a new brush, 'cuz all my hair's growing back. I'm thinking of doing it in dreds... |
"We conducted a dialogue with 800 of them and more than a quarter were convinced. We are continuing our efforts with the rest," he told delegates attending an international counterterrorism conference. "The Internet is a fertile field. We have used many Islamic and cultural sites to increase awareness of the dangers of terrorism."
| I knew how to waltz when I got up this morning, and this afternoon I learned the polonnaise. It just came to me... |
Since a triple suicide bombing in Riyadh in May 2003, the Kingdom has cracked down on Al-Qaeda militants and the religious scholars who have publicly supported them.
| They haven't cut anybody's head off yet, but I'm sure they will... |
It has also waged a media campaign to turn Saudis against violence and to persuade parents to be more aware of signs that their sons are being drawn to militants, either in Saudi Arabia or in Iraq. Militants have also made extensive use of the Internet and there are at least two Al-Qaeda-affiliated web magazines which have prompted alarm among some security experts who say militants are turning the web into a virtual classroom.
| But they're nothing to worry about, 'cuz Prince Nayef is on the case. |
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