Saudi Arabia cracks down on citizens who fight abroad - Central Asia Online
RIYADH – A royal decree that penalises Saudis who travel abroad to fight has come at the right time to stop the spread of extremist ideology in the kingdom and in the region, analysts told Al-Shorfa.
The decree, issued by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz earlier in February, penalises with prison terms of three to 20 years anyone who participates in hostilities outside the kingdom.
The punishment also applies to anyone who belongs to or supports extremist organisations that have been listed as terrorist entities domestically, regionally or internationally or “expresses sympathy for them in any way, provides them with any form of material or moral support, or incites, encourages or promotes doing so verbally, in writing or in any other way.”
The decree stipulates that a committee be formed with representation from the relevant ministries and agencies to compile periodically updated lists of outlawed groups.
Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh was quick to welcome the decree.
“The information we have about those who left [to fight abroad] is that they were misguided youth who believe they are waging ‘jihad’ in the cause of God, but they have instead fallen prey to the enemies of Islam,” he said.
In a statement released after the issuance of the decree, the Saudi Embassy in Ankara said it is prepared to accommodate young people returning from Syria until the legal documents and procedures required for their return to their country are completed.
In addition to the king’s decree, Saudi Arabia passed a “Law for the Crimes of Terrorism and Its Financing” on January 31, said al-Wasatiyyah (Moderation) Centre head Issa al-Ghaith, who serves as an advisor to the minister of justice and on the Shura Council.
“Thus, the kingdom has developed an integrated system for combating terrorism and all related crimes,” he told Al-Shorfa. “The system reflects the serious attention Saudi Arabia gives to combating terrorism, its funding and the ideas that sponsor and promote it, among misguided youth in particular.”
Combating al-Qaeda ideology
“The decree came at a time when everyone has come to know the truth about these terrorist organisations that have led the youth astray for many years with their extremist ideas and terrorist methods, especially al-Qaeda, given what it has done in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and recently Syria,” al-Ghaith said.
Misleading fatwas issued by radical clerics are a primary tool for inciting young people to engage in acts of terrorism, he said, noting that these fatwas reach a wide audience via satellite television, radio and social networking sites and websites.
Many of those who issue such fatwas lack religious credentials and knowledge, he said, adding that some even have criminal records.
Mechanisms to enforce the royal decree should include the establishment of a national counter-terrorism centre that operates in conjunction with the security agencies and the judiciary, al-Ghaith said.
“Terrorism involves not only military terrorism but also intellectual terrorism,” he said. “Accordingly, combating it starts with drying up its wellsprings, especially as there are numerous illegal organisations forming cells that subscribe to ideas stemming from radical terrorist organisations like al-Qaeda.”
“These ideas and organisations are the disease that must be eradicated in order for terrorism as a whole to be eliminated, and that responsibility currently falls not only to the security authorities but also the media and educational institutions and Islamic [entities],” he said.