First, the country’s religious establishment would be blamed for the attack and as a result would be dismantled. Religious education would be severely curtailed so as not to influence people. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice would have to be closed down to allow people to live freely and indulge in pleasure. Religious schools and classes teaching the Holy Qur’an would be shut down because they are centers for raising children on a religious basis. Universities and colleges teaching Shariah would have to be reduced in size because they are breeding grounds for extremists. The curricula, especially those which teach Qur’anic jurisprudence and interpretation as well as Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) would have to be changed to allow youth easy and unhindered access to modern sciences. The media must have unlimited freedom so that anyone could express, and spread, any views and ideas regardless of whether they were good or bad. It would not matter if people expressed anti-religious or blasphemous sentiments as long as this fell under the classification of personal freedom. Social restrictions, including community values, customs and traditions, would be abandoned because they might be contrary to personal freedom. New prisons would be built to jail all those growing beards, which are a terrorist symbol, as well as imams and preachers. New techniques and tools of intelligence and surveillance would be devised to deal with the new situation, beginning by torturing the suspects’ relatives, friends and everyone who happened to know or come across them. The borders with Yemen would be sealed to stop smuggling of arms into the country. Westerners would not be allowed to live in compounds because these are easy targets. Instead, they should mingle with the rest of the population although this would mean they would have to give up the luxurious Western lifestyles of many compounds. To make life easier for Westerners as well as others, every neighborhood must have all the required facilities that make peoples’ life comfortable. This would at least occupy the local population with the enjoyment of luxuries and focus their attention on something other than targeting foreigners. It would be another successful penetration of local society. It is an endless list of unjust measures that we have seen the United States adopt over the last two years.

We must, however, remember one thing. Among the many blessings conferred upon this country is that its rulers are more farsighted, experienced and responsive to their peoples’ needs. They are more rational than to allow crimes committed by a group of deranged individuals to deflect their attention or steer them from the course they have set for their country. It is a course that takes into consideration the country’s national interests. Following the bombings in Riyadh, the Kingdom has been accused of being a fertile ground for terrorists because it is a closed society, lacks democracy and freedom of expression and applies a strict religious code. How can those who voice these accusations explain the attacks that took place in Morocco, an open and democratic country which enjoys freedom of expression? Terrorism knows no boundaries. Why then single out Saudi Arabia?

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(Muhammad Al-Shibani is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah.)