Arab News Team

JEDDAH, 10 November 2003 — Saudis and residents across the Kingdom reacted with shock and anger to Saturday’s suicide bombings at a compound in Riyadh.

In spite of the late hour, most residents in the capital were awake or outside their homes at the time of the explosion.

“I heard one very loud explosion and our whole house was shaking,” said Ibtihaal Hassan, who was home at the time.

“All the people in our neighborhood were out on the street trying to find out what happened,” she said.

Hassan said she quickly started calling her relatives to make sure they were safe. Her mother and sister, who were out shopping, said mobile phones soon started ringing all around as concerned family members frantically called their loved ones.

Bombarded by brutal television and newspaper images of carnage caused by a midnight explosion at the housing compound of Al-Muhaya, on Riyadh’s desert outskirts, many were united in condemning the second deadly attack in their capital in six months.

“What Islam is this? They are terrorists,” said Hamdan Youssef, a 39-year-old businessman.

Sarah Hussain said she had heard about the closure of the US Embassy and possible bomb threats but did not take them seriously as there have been similar threats in the past.

“They are Muslims and are killing their own Muslim brothers and sisters,” she said “Even if the victims are not Muslim, they are still human beings. It doesn’t matter if they are Westerners or not.”

Saudi Arabia used to be a much safer place, said Hussain, but recently everything had changed. “No one is safe anywhere,” she said. “Not even in our homes.”

Ahmad Al-Tayeb in Jeddah shared her confusion and anger. “I was shocked and I could not believe that there are people who are willing to kill and terrorize the innocent in this holy month,” he said. “For three hours I thought I was having a nightmare and this could not be true. I support all government actions against these terrorists. They targeted young children who were sleeping peacefully in their homes. What do these terrorists want from our children?”

Fury that the attacks targeted innocent people during Ramadan was the single unifying factor across the Kingdom. “Whoever committed this terrible act is not a Muslim,” Ghazi Hadda said.

“We all should condemn it and stand shoulder to shoulder with the government to crack down on these terrorists. If they send us the message that they are willing to kill us and threaten our children, then our message to them is we will not be afraid and we will fight against terrorism because terrorism has no place in our society.”

Khaled Batarfi, managing editor of Al-Madinah newspaper, summed up saying the militants were losing the battle for the “hearts and minds” of ordinary Saudis.

“This was their main battle. In the past they would pretend to be against Americans, Christians — whoever they perceive to be the enemy. Now their enemy is the same people whose approval they seek.”

“It’s a pity to see something like this,” said Dr. Saleh Al-Tuwaijri, vice president of the Riyadh Red Crescent Society.

“It’s very saddening, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.”

“The terrorists who carried out these bombings have proved that they have no faith,” Al-Tuwaijri told Arab News. “No faith will ever condone this kind of aggression.”

But some blamed those who spread religious intolerance in Saudi society. “Society will bear responsibility for this,” said Hussein Nasser, a 28-year-old bank employee. “We put the men of religion above fault, and made them unaccountable. We gave them special privilege — and this is the result.”

Mubarak Musa, a 45-year-old businessman, also pointed an accusing finger at intolerance. “It’s the refusal of any other opinion at the expense of a single viewpoint. That’s the most dangerous thing,” he said.

Anger was also the predominant emotion in the Eastern Province.

The news of the explosion spread like a wildfire on Saturday night and people out shopping rushed back to their homes to watch the latest television bulletin. The markets in Dammam and Alkhobar, which otherwise hum with activity until 2 a.m. during Ramadan, looked deserted after midnight and many shopkeepers pulled their shutters down.

Most Saudis and expatriates were angry over the explosion, with some calling the act both insane and inhuman.

Abdullah Al-Amri, the imam of an Alkhobar mosque, said it was a sin to kill and hurt innocent people, and a greater sin to kill and hurt them in the holy month of Ramadan.

“Such actions contradict the basic teaching of Islam,” he said.

Some people said they were surprised that the terrorists succeeded in executing their attack when the Americans had information that a terrorist attack was imminent. The US had closed its missions on Saturday to “review the security situation.”

Western expatriates in the Kingdom were horrified at what appeared a senseless attack, but many too were moved to speculate about the motivation and circumstances behind it.

“I’d be interested to know if the compound in Riyadh had the same level of protection as Western compounds,” said Andy Willox, a long time resident in Jeddah. “If it didn’t, then it could have been considered a soft target. If it was well protected and selected as a target, then I am shocked that a compound that housed mainly Arab and Muslim families was even considered as a target. Whose cause will the deliberate deaths of women and children serve?”

Doug Vale, a South African teacher of English, offered a theory: “I am sure from previous experiences that this was chosen because of the extra security at Western compounds and because compounds per se are symbols of Western presence in the Kingdom,” he said.

Tom Notestine, a US paramedic, said rumors had already begun to spread. “Muslim colleagues are devastated because innocent Muslim families seem to have been deliberately targeted. Many are in a state of denial that it could have been an Islamist organization like Al-Qaeda — they are saying that it was a CIA plot to destabilize the country. The reality is that many good people are dead and injured for no apparent reason.”

— Reported by Saeed Haider in Dammam, Roger Harrison and Mahmoud Ahmad in Jeddah and Muniza Ali in Riyadh.