By: Talal Al-Harbi

Recently, law-enforcers uncovered a cell of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Kingdom.

Due to the seriousness of the issue, Saudis and expatriates should remain ready to deal with the situation. When we talk about an organization that has an emir, this means that we are facing a real war.

The first line of defense that guarantees our safety is national unity. We should realize that the terrorists have declared a war and are well organized.

We mustn’t deceive ourselves. We must believe that they are not stupid nor naïve and that they have some masterminds who plan for them and provide them with financial support. I am not panicky, but I am afraid. To be cautious and prepared is very important and necessary. It is also not enough to leave this responsibility only on our security forces and authorities because this is not only the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Interior. We all should shoulder this responsibility and contribute to the efforts in fighting the deviant ideology.

Among the 58 Saudis who were apprehended, 35 were former convicts. In fact their release shouldn’t have taken place under the present circumstances. But what about the rest who were living with us before their arrest? How did they deteriorate to this ebb?

The risk now comes from another direction whereby the terrorist groups will describe these criminals as heroes and present them as such, as is evident from the propaganda videos on YouTube. These deviant groups waste no time in promoting their cause. They work persistently to fulfill their schemes. The question is: Are we qualified and prepared to confront their tactics in the first place? Where is our plan to unveil their lies? Needless to say that following traditional methods in combating these unconventional elements in a non-traditional war is doomed to fail, hence we shouldn’t use traditional methods in confronting them because what is more serious is the support of those persons who follow their precedents. Naturally religious lessons, valuable lectures and educational magazines are not enough and will never succeed. If we want to win over them, we must fight them with the same mentality. This is a war and it is said: “Everything is fair in love and war.”