Author:
Publication: MEMRI.org
Date: December 1, 2003
On November 30, 2003, Dr. Muhammad
Talal Al-Rasheed, columnist for the English language daily The Saudi Gazette,
wrote an article titled "Senseless Violence, Senseless Death." The article
is in reaction to the murder of Saudi Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al- Rasheed
of Hail by 'Islamists' in Algeria. The following are excerpts from the
article: (1)
"...A few days back Prince Talal
Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed of Hail was murdered in Algeria while on a camping
trip. He was 40 years old and his son, Nawaf, 13 years old, was with him.
At the time of this writing, we only know that the father was killed, while
the son's condition is to be verified.
"It is easy to get on one's soap
box and pontificate; to tell humanity that we suffer from terrorism, too.
That is too easy, though; and perhaps too intellectually cowardly. Talal
was a well- known poet in Saudi Arabia. He comes from a family that ruled
Arabia long enough to be recorded in history. He was and will always be
a beacon of Art, whatever that word means.
"Those who killed him are those
who want the word silenced. The young man left it open whether he was with
this or that, but he was adamant to tell all and sundry that to be is to
talk and exchange. I grieve, I must admit, and am beyond reason because
of the trauma of it all, but I do maintain a semblance of reason to see
where all of this is leading.
"We have bred monsters. We alone
are responsible for it. I have written as much before my personal tragedy
and will continue to do so for as long as it takes. We are the problem
and not America or the penguins of the North Pole or those who live in
caves in Afghanistan. We are it, and those who cannot see this are the
ones to blame.
"Castrated as we are, we look to
America. Why? Because they went into Iraq and made a difference. Better
or worse is another point. Once America has demonstrated its willingness
to do something, the moral imperative is that it should not stop at the
first station along the road. The majority of us are sick and tired of
this carnage and President Bush, wrong on just about everything else, is
right on this one. Does he have the (courage) to finish the job? I wonder.
"I don't think this will be published
in the Arab News, as it should be. If not, I understand their point of
view and their perpetual selectiveness. But one thing is sure, we are here
to stay even if it takes giving our best to the madness of religion and
the wrong of fanaticism. Nothing, but nothing, is worth the life of an
innocent...may the Americans add Talal to their list of loved ones lost
to the same indiscriminate madness that took 3,000 on a certain day in
September."
Endnote:
(1) The Saudi Gazette, November
30, 2003.
