(International Herald Tribune) John V. Whitbeck - The ultimate security problem facing Saudi Arabia today may be finding a way to make life more attractive than death for young Saudi Arabian men. For frustrated young men facing thwarted lives without pleasure or hope, a spectacular death can seem a magical escape. The preferred ways to seek martyrdom are currently to die fighting for the "liberation" of Palestine or Iraq. A respected, gray-bearded Saudi Arabian friend has been approached in mosques by children as young as 10 seeking his help to infiltrate them into Iraq so that they can die fighting the Americans. There is every reason to expect that attacks like those in Khobar will increase in frequency, carried out by young men fired by rage, hate, and a yearning for a better life in another world.
2004-06-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive