Akkaz, Saudi Arabia, Originally posted in Arabic on February 4
A combined suicide bomb and a gun attack on a Shia mosque killed four worshippers in eastern Saudi Arabia last week, leaving dozens of others injured and hurt.
Crown Prince Muhammad Ibn Nayef was quick to react to the event and decided to pay a visit to the scene, where he met with hospitalized victims and the hero of the day: a young man who, with his own two hands, blocked a second suicide bomber from entering the mosque.
Since photos of this visit have been released, word of the young man’s courageous actions became viral.
In the last few days, I heard too many voices urging citizens to follow the man’s footsteps by taking up arms and protecting their streets from terrorists. Some even proposed a civilian-run security force that would protect mosques in each and every town.
These ideas are not only absurd, but also extremely dangerous. A state functions on law, order and hierarchy. Civilian alertness is important, and even crucial, but it cannot replace the state’s security apparatuses. Vigilance should not be conflated with paranoia, and enthusiasm should not be confused with anarchy.
Let the citizens cooperate with the state and assist its institutions where they can, but not replace it. We have defeated terrorism in the past, and we shall do so again in the future. – Turki al-Dakhil