Samar Fatany

By : Samar Fatany

The whole country is mourning the Saudi martyrs of the barbaric terrorist attack carried out by criminals and the enemies of humanity in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman condemned the cowardly terror attack and expressed his grief to the families of those killed and to the dozens who were wounded. For three days residents of Jeddah and Madinah flocked to offer their condolences to the families of the innocent souls who were brutally murdered by the cold-blooded killer.

May Allah rest in peace the innocent souls of the 24-year-old twins Mohammed and Ahmed Saud Bin Abdul Wahab Al-Fadl, the young mothers Wissam Al-Jafri and Lubna Ghaznawi and the young lawyer Shahad Samman. Our sincere prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones; may Allah grant them the strength and the patience to overcome their grief.

Meanwhile, the nation is praying for the speedy recovery of 12 other Saudis who are in critical condition and are currently receiving treatment for injuries in different hospitals in Istanbul. The victims also include people from Morocco, Lebanon, Libya and Jordan and other countries. They are all innocent people with no grudges, no prejudices and no hate who went to Turkey to celebrate life and had hopes for a happy new year. The killer willfully premeditated their murder and robbed them of their youth devastating the lives of their loved ones.

What cruelty and what wicked, crooked and twisted mind can justify such cold-blooded murder? For those who keep repeating the rhetoric of the criminals and identify them as ISIS, I say enough is enough. The Muslim world has labeled these criminal terrorists as Daesh and rejects referring to them as ISIS.

If they were true warriors of justice they would be headed to liberate Palestine and rescue the innocent Palestinians who are being ejected from their homes and whose women and children are suffering

Samar Fatany

Imposters to the faith

I speak in the name of all Muslims who believe in God, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Day of Judgment. Only imposters to the faith can justify the actions of these criminals. All Muslims today speak loudly and clearly against the defamation of Islam by the criminal perpetrators of terror and those who associate them with Islam.

Muslims do not have to defend their faith with every satanic attack that goes against every principle of Islam. “O you who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of satan. He is an outright enemy to you.” (Holy Qur’an – 2: 208). The word “Islam” is derived from the word meaning “peace” in Arabic.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to recite a prayer of peace every day after every prayer: “O God, You are the original source of Peace; from You is all Peace, and to You returns all Peace. So, make us live with Peace; and let us enter Paradise: the House of Peace. Blessed be You, our Lord, to Whom belongs all Majesty and Honor!”

The Prophet (pbuh) taught good manners and preached mercy, compassion, peace and love for all humanity. “We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed.” (Holy Qur’an – 5: 48)

Evil intentions

It is obvious that the goal of the criminal outcasts is to terrorize people and create chaos throughout the region destroying the peace and harmony of its people. There is clearly nothing Islamic about that. The criminals who claim to be Muslims are nothing but imposters who have evil intentions and are using religion for their own selfish agendas.

If they were true warriors of justice they would be headed to liberate Palestine and rescue the innocent Palestinians who are being ejected from their homes and whose women and children are suffering at the hands of Israeli occupiers and the injustice of the Zionist state.

Security experts maintain that the Kingdom and the Arab world are facing grave security issues. According to Dr. Jibreel Al-Areeshi, a professor of informatics at King Saud University, “Some are trying to drag the Kingdom into the quagmire of the wars going on in the Middle East and divert its attention from focusing on its economic progress and playing its leading role in the region. Economic progress is closely associated with national security. They are, in fact, two sides of the same coin.”

Our world can never be safe until the dark and destabilizing forces terrorizing the Middle East and the world at large are eliminated. A unified moral stance by the Muslim world and the global community is the only path to peace.

Samar Fatany is a Chief Broadcaster in the English section at Jeddah Broadcasting Station. Over the past 28 years, she has introduced many news, cultural, and religious programs and has conducted several interviews with official delegations and prominent political personalities visiting the kingdom. Fatany has made significant contributions in the fields of public relations and social awareness in Saudi Arabia and has been involved in activities aiming at fighting extremism and enhancing women’s role in serving society. She has published three books: “Saudi Perceptions & Western Misconceptions,” “Saudi Women towards a new era” and “Saudi Challenges & Reforms.”

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