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Ladies and gentlemen:
I would like to start by quoting the Holy Qur’an :
"And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you."
Terrorism is an indiscriminate evil which disregards race, religion and nationality. The horrific killing of innocent people goes against the basic belief of civilized man in the sanctity of innocent human life. It is under no circumstances justifiable in any way, whatever political, philosophical, ethnic or religious explanation there may be.
This terror has no defined beginning, but its evil force reached a new pinnacle of horror on September 11th - with the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks that shocked the international community. This was preceded and followed by attacks all over the world, having a devastating impact on societies and individuals.
Thus, the challenge is global and has a worldwide effect on stability, security, and economic well being. It has also become clear that in order to effectively defeat terrorism, the causes of terror and extremism have to be understood and resolved along side the environment in which terrorists breed, and places where they recruit and operate.
Although members of the international community agree on the scale of the threat caused by terrorism, there has been no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism. In spite of this, the international community has embodied its determination to fight terror in 12 international conventions criminalizing many types of terrorist act, including hijacking planes and hostage taking.
In this context, let me quote what HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister said about the problem of defining terrorism when he was asked during the Counter- Terrorism International Conference in Riyadh in February 2005. He said: "The solution is in trying to draw up detailed proposals to counter terrorism, avoiding what might stir controversies related to the definition of terrorism" . He continued, "We might have different views about the definition, but we all agree on what terrorism does".
The Riyadh Counter- Terrorism Conference declared "No matter what pretext terrorists may use for their deeds, terrorism has no justification. Terrorism under all circumstances, regardless of the alleged motives, should be condemned unconditionally".
Terrorism is now a permanent item on the agenda for most international gatherings, official and unofficial. Last week alone I participated in three conferences in which terrorism was a the main topic for discussion.
Before I talk about the international response to the threat of terrorism and Saudi Arabia’s stand in fighting terrorism, I will shed some light on the changing nature of the phenomenon of terrorism, concentrating on the ideology terrorists use to justify their acts. What are the methods by which they recruit their misguided followers? How do they communicate and disseminate their message of hate?
First, what is the ideology of the main terrorist groups we face today – Al Qaeda and other groups that have sprung up in its wake?
In the past, terrorist groups justified their malicious actions with political rhetoric, or ethnic grievances; their aim was to overturn a set of political rules. But Al Qaeda asserts itself by claiming it is carrying out some twisted form of jihad. They claim religious authority - where they have none. And in doing so, they have dragged Islam into a maelstrom of misunderstanding. Al Qaeda is a global network of operatives, the only one to succeed the demise of the Comintern. It is supranational, but it is regionally autonomous.
Even though the international community – people of all faiths, Muslims, Christians, Jews , Hindus and Buddhists – condemn this wicked perversity, these terrorists have managed to drive a wedge between people, to spread doubt and divide friendships.
It would be a disaster to allow terrorists to succeed in convincing not only their misguided operatives and sympathisers, but also to convince others that religion -any religion - could justify terrorism. Religion cannot and must not be used in any way to justify terror. The brutal killing of innocent people goes against all our faiths.
Let me share with you the findings of the International Round Table on Constructing Peace, which was held in New Delhi in October 2004. After analysis of over 10,000 terrorist attacks in the last five years, the outcome showed that more than 300 groups have been responsible for them. The analysis revealed a complex web of motives going well beyond any single philosophy.
The Round Table concluded that the identification of terrorism with any particular religion or nationality was misleading and inappropriate. Two days ago The Strategic Foresight group in its meeting in Brussels reached the same conclusion, and I quote " it is inappropriate and misleading to identify any religion with terrorism when religion is misappropriated by any entity for a violent purpose".
According to the Strategic Foresight Group, out of 175 groups that were analyzed, the number of groups wanting to promote extremist ideology was only 42 (24%).
Terrorism is not a mark of a particular culture or religion. Terrorist aims are different but their methods are identical, the terrorization and killing of innocents. The declared aim of Al Qaeda is the destruction of the existing social, political and economic structures in Arab and Muslim countries. Another aim is to disconnect, and drive a wedge between Muslims and other peoples.
The Irgun Zvai-Leumi was a pro- Zionist movement which targeted both Palestinians and the British, and their declared aim was to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. The Irgun carried out the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946 which left 91 dead including 28 British. It also committed the 1948 massacre of unarmed Palestinians at Deir Yassin which killed 250 including women and children.
According to David Dumke, Director of the MidAmerican Group in Washington, most forms of terrorism can be found in almost every country in European history and that includes the time of the French Revolution where terrorist tactics and methods were common and largely used.
Many other examples further stress the point that terrorism is not associated with a particular culture or geographical origin or religion. The Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka, ETA in Spain and the IRA in Ireland.
However, following the horrific events of September 11th, terrorism has been associated with Islam. We have to live with the fact that the perpetrators of that diabolical act claimed to be Muslims and that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from the Kingdom. But the evil of what they did goes against all the teachings of Islam and is condemned by Muslims around the world. It does not represent the Muslim people and it does not represent the Saudi Arabian people. The acts of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are wholly wicked and totally unjustifiable. They defile Islam.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd rightly warned that terror networks were using misguided Muslim youth to further their evil cause. He said - I quote:
“By playing into the hands of terror networks, these youths have tarnished the image of Islam and Muslims.”
Ladies and gentlemen:
Terrorist groups in the past were usually defined by a regional political agenda - the IRA came from Ireland, Bader Meinhoff from Germany. But Al-Qaeda and groups that have sprung up around it, recruit their members from across the world: Europe, America, the Middle East and the Far East. They recruit from a global pool of disaffected youth and some times people of all ages who are looking for a cause.
As Marc Sageman in his analytical study, "Understanding Terrorism Networks" indicated, "the formal induction into Al Qaeda often took place in Afghanistan", in the training camps, in which members were recruited and indoctrinated. According to his study, 70 percent of those who joined Al Qaeda did so in a country different from that of their origin. They were expatriates, students, workers, refugees, fighters in Afghanistan. 14 percent were second generation immigrants in France, Britain and the United States. The most common place where the central staff of Al Qaeda joined the global jihad was Sudan. Conversion to global jihad also took place in the West, mostly in France, Germany and England. Almost two thirds of the terrorists forming the Central Staff of Al-Qaeda came from Egypt. (63 percent).
Al Qaeda's ideology was not Saudi Arabia's creation. Did Saudis contribute to its formation? Assuredly yes. But so did Egyptians, Algerians, and yes, Paris and London in the early 90’s provided safe haven for those who expounded Al Qaeda’s ideology. The hills of Afghanistan, not the deserts of Arabia were the crucible where this deadly cult was moulded, using ideas that resonated universally.
Following the war to rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein’s regime, terrorism has gripped Iraq. Terrorists have found in the confusion the perfect breeding ground for their cruel agenda of mayhem, death and destruction. Iraq has become a recruiting spot.
These terrorists are followers of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and Al Qaeda who claim to be fighting the occupying American forces but who are actually, and ultimately more dangerously, fighting the development of a pluralistic and viable Iraq. They excel in killing Iraqis. According to a recent CIA report Iraq has now become a new magnet and breeding ground for terrorists. The report stated that the CIA believes Iraq to be potentially worse than Afghanistan.
Recruitment also targets different social and educational backgrounds. The sample of terrorists on which Sageman was able to collect data indicates that 18 percent were from the upper classes, 56 percent were middle class. Also, the leadership and the largest portion of the membership in Al Qaeda came from the upper and middle classes. Only 17 percent had an Islamic religious education, the rest went to secular schools.
This compares to the Red Army Faction in Germany. Of the 227 left wing- terrorists who were arrested during the 70s, most came from the upper middle class.
Ladies and gentlemen:
Terrorist organizations take advantage of modern technology to reach and communicate with current and potential recruits. Terrorist leaders no longer have to draw their recruits around them physically.
We live in an ever shrinking world.
Modern communications and technology - the internet and email - enable us to send messages to a dozen or more friends on the other side of the globe in seconds.
But the internet and email have also been used by extremist groups to broadcast their twisted ideologies and to send messages of hate. They have kidnapped the hearts and minds of many young people with their twisted ideas. They have created cults that revolve around the cult leader and his demonic ideology. Terrorists make use of the internet to publicise their cult leaders’ calls for hate and terror and also use the internet to show the horrific crimes they commit, a cheap means to spread horror and bring new recruits.
The most dangerous aspects of today's terrorism is its ability to inflict mass killing and destruction among civilians and non-civilians, to spawn fear in the world community, movement and travel, and a fear of one another.
In response to that threat not only to world security, but to our shared human values of peaceful coexistence and tolerance, the international community has taken many measures aimed at fighting terrorism. It has established a UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). This committee plays an important role in coordinating counter terrorist activities between UN member states.
Further, UN Security Council Resolution 1373 identifies the problems we face in fighting terrorism. It outlines measures needed to clamp down on the financing of terrorism and emphasizes the necessity to improve the competence of courts in dealing with terrorist activities. It also points out the links between terrorism and organized crime and between terrorism and the illegal movement of deadly materials. The international community now has a legal and procedural structure to govern and coordinate efforts in facing the challenge of terrorism.
Ladies and gentlemen:
There is growing agreement among states that the UN is the main forum for consolidating cooperation and coordinating efforts against terrorism. In that context many countries have joined the 12 major international conventions on combating terrorism. The UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee provides technical assistance to member states along with the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council and its monitoring team.
Many countries have enacted new laws, or strengthened existing ones in order to ensure, first of all, that their security services have sufficient power to fight terrorism and, secondly, that they have sufficient financial and legal safeguards in place to stop the potential funding of terrorism.
Due to the nature of the threat posed by terrorism, there is still an urgent need for more coordination and cooperation at the operational level. Terrorists strike in every part of the world and take advantage of every opportunity to move and plan their evil deeds.
Fighting and defeating terrorism requires solid international cooperation. A unanimity of vision and stance.
Realizing this urgent need for cooperation and coordination, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has called for the establishment of an international body with the aim of exchanging information about terrorism and terrorist activities. Crown Prince Abdullah's call for the creation of an international center further stresses the need for cooperation among all members of the international community in the war against terrorism. All delegates to the Counter- Terrorism International Conference which was held in Riyadh in February 2005 welcomed the proposal of the Crown Prince. Delegates to the conference agreed that any counter-terrorism attempt will fall short of the ideal unless it is part of a collective effort by the international community.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a victim of terrorism since the 1960s. In the last two years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed 30 terrorist incidents – including explosions, attacks, and kidnapping – causing the death of 91 citizens and foreign nationals and injuring 510 people. Forty one security men have been martyred and 218 injured, whereas 112 terrorists have been killed and 25 wounded. Material losses in property and damage to facilities have exceeded 1 billion Riyals.
The Kingdom's stand against terrorism has never changed and is founded on Islamic law and the teaching of the Holy Qur’an. Saudi Arabia has never, throughout its history, sanctioned or supported the indiscriminate use of violence. Violence goes against all the laws of the Kingdom and the Kingdom has actively and always supported regional and international efforts aimed at combating terrorism.
Well before the horrific events of September 11th, the Kingdom played a leading role in putting together with other Arab countries the Arab Agreement on Combating Terrorism. The Kingdom also coordinated and shared information on terrorists and terrorism with friendly countries, including Britain.
Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has vowed that the State will continue to be vigilant in pursuit of these evil men until every one of them is caught. I quote. “It is the terrorists who are our enemies, and security will be imposed on them by force. Our country will prevail in spite of them. Every enemy will be tracked down, no matter how long it takes.”
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al- Al Sheikh said on September 15 2001, and I quote: “ Hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood, constitute a form of injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts…Any Muslim who is aware of the teachings of his religion and who adheres to the directives of the Qur’an and the Sunna will never involve himself in such acts because they will invoke the anger of God Almighty and lead to harm and corruption on earth"
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Muslim World League, of which Saudi Arabia is a member, have stressed that those who commit terrorist acts have committed a cardinal sin, prohibited by Islam and contrary to God’s order - and I quote - “Do not take life which God has made sacred”.
We are engaged in a financial as well as a physical war against terrorism. Our aim in the Kingdom has been to cut off this funding by scrutinising all donations from their source to their destination. Many measures have been taken in this regard in the Kingdom which I will outline in a few minutes.
On the practical level in the war against terrorism, the Kingdom has taken many measures unilaterally and in coordination with the international community. I will share with you some of the most important of these measures as follows:
Supporting and implementing UN Security Council Resolutions by freezing the funds and financial assets of the individuals listed in Security Council Resolution 1333 and other related resolutions.
Maintaining a Counter-Terrorism committee with the United States comprised of intelligence and law enforcement personnel who meet regularly to share information and resources and to develop action plans to root out terrorist networks.
Signing the International Convention for Suppression and Financing of Terrorism which was based on UN Security Council Resolution 1373 on reporting to the Security Council’s committee regarding the implementation of that resolution and other related resolutions.
Having the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) exchange information on money laundering related activities with other banking supervisory authorities and with law enforcement agencies, along with the establishment of Anti- Money Laundering Units at the Ministry of Interior, SAMA and commercial banks.
The Kingdom has also taken many other initiatives and measures and these include the creation of a High Commission for the Oversight of Charities to look at ways to regulate charities. Also, taking joint action with the United States to freeze the assets of suspected individuals believed to have funneled money to terrorist organizations.
After its visit to the Kingdom, the United Nations Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded in its report of 2004, relating to Investigation and Enforcement Procedures that Saudi Arabia's procedures were substantive and effective. In the area of international cooperation, the evaluation team found that Saudi Arabia's legal structures regarding international cooperation were sound. In relation to charities, the assessors found that the Saudi system of regulating charities was more thorough and more effective than anything they had otherwise encountered, and should be a model for other jurisdictions.
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, an independent commission set up by the US government in the wake of September 11th, has reported that there is no evidence of Saudi government funding of Al-Qaeda. It says - I quote: “We found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution, or senior officials within the Saudi government funded Al Qaeda.”
0n June 1st 2005, the American Defence Secretary described the Saudi efforts in fighting terrorism as “ admirable”. Other American officials have also shared similar views.
Ladies and gentlemen
Saudi Arabia has been vigilant - as I have already outlined - in bringing in measures to scrutinise and control charitable donations. Now, every Riyal has to be accounted for, from the initial contribution all the way to the final recipient. Last week the Council of Ministers decided that the payment of all private donations for charity work outside the Kingdom must be made through the Saudi Private Commission for Relief and Charitable Activities Abroad.
In the Security Area:
On the security front, the Saudi authorities have achieved considerable success. Since September 11, 2001, the Saudi authorities have questioned more than 2000 individuals, arrested hundreds of suspects, and succeeded in extraditing tens of Al-Qaeda members from other countries to face justice.
In 2003, a list of terrorists and suspects then still at large was drawn up by Saudi Arabian security forces. At present 23 of the 26 known senior Al-Qaeda operatives have been killed or captured.
The Saudi security forces have eliminated the top terrorist leaders of Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. More of these terrorists have recently been arrested or killed. The increasing success of the Saudi security forces became clearer during and after April 2005. We saw how swiftly and effectively the Saudi security teams dealt with the most dangerous group of terrorists in Ar-Rass in Qasim Province, in which 15 terrorists were killed, and 6 arrested. No member of this terrorist group was able to escape or penetrate the security measures.
More importantly, the kingdom has taken many measures aiming at the philosophical aspects of terrorism, the ideology of terrorism and extremism. The Saudi authorities have engaged some of the captured terrorists and extremists in a dialogue process. Some of those engaged in this process rescinded their former extremist ideas.
A national campaign was also set up with the aim of spreading awareness among people about the danger of terrorism and extremism on individuals and society. The Saudi Forum for National Dialogue recommended last week that religious discourse should be more tolerant towards others.
The foundation for this strategy is the principle of moderation which King Abdul Aziz stressed during and after his campaign to unify modern Saudi Arabia. This principle was further reemphasized by King Fahd in his reform plan of 2003 in which he urged all religious authorities to heed the words of the Prophet ( PBUH) and to preach tolerance. More than three thousand imams were given courses that emphasized that ideal.
Remarks on the Future of Combating Terrorism
What can we and should we do in this war against terrorism?
There are four critical areas we need to address as an international community:
1. Consolidate international cooperation on all fronts in the war against terrorism: politically, financially, and in the field of security.
2. Adopt preventative measures through intelligence sharing.
In order for any war on terror to be successful, those fighting that war must have confidence in one another. How can you win a war if your allies do not trust you or you them. That is why Crown Prince Abdullah proposed that an international counter terrorism centre be established to exchange information and know how.
3. Promote cultural understanding through a better dialogue between
civilizations, cultures, and religions with the aim of promoting tolerance and defeating the preachers of hate.
4. Ongoing international conflicts that fuel terrorism must be resolved. I would like to highlight here the ongoing crisis of the Palestinian people .
The British Prime Minister rightly noted at the conclusion of the London meeting in March 2005 on supporting the Palestinian Authority, when he said and I quote:
“ I described it (the Palestinian problem) recently as the single most pressing political challenge” .. “this is the issue that causes as much misunderstanding, division, concern, worry as virtually any other in the whole of international community” "much of the poison that we want to take out of the international relations has swirled around as a result of the failure to make progress on this issue."
I believe, as do many others both within and outside of the Arab world, that our fight against terrorism and for peace and stability will never succeed until a just and comprehensive solution is found for the Palestinian people in which they have the right to self determination; to their own state, on their own land. This comprehensive peace requires determined action from the international community and particularly from the leading powers in the United Nations.
The battle against terrorism is one we cannot afford to lose. To win it we must remain vigilant at all times in order to protect the innocent; we must act fairly in our dealings with individual nations and we must work together - as a united civilised international community to rid our precious world of this evil.
A final word here. My country’s success against terrorists, along with what I mentioned before, is due largely to one fact. The Saudi people reject and abhor these terrorists, their ways, and their ideology. I am sad that these vicious criminals have struck in my country, as well as in other places, but I am proud that the Saudi people are leading the fight to rid the world of this cancer.
Let us all pray for a just and peaceful world.
Thank you
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