Saudi citizens caution against hasty retaliation

Despite Saudi Arabia's denunciation of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. last week, at official and public levels, several of those spoken to feel the U.S. should not resort to hasty retaliatory action until it is absolutely sure who is responsible.

Mohammed Salih Barnawi, a university student, said he felt a strong sense of shock when he watched the terrorist strikes on the U.S. He said he realised at that moment that terrorism was strong and could penetrate any country, no matter its power.

"We are sympathising with America, and hope it succeeds in eradicating terrorism, because we too suffer from it," he said.

But he expressed fears for any hasty decision taken by Washington, such as declaring war against any country that has no connection with what has happened. He called on President Bush to wait until concrete evidence emerges with regard to the identity of those who planned and implemented the attacks, because to attack innocents would be a most abominable form of terrorism.

Ahmed Al Dubaikhi, a government official, said it was impossible for anyone to support a war declared by America against any Muslim country, without waiting for evidence to be obtained, only because the U.S. president wanted to soothe the anger of the people in the U.S.

War is not a game, he said. Its victims will be in the thousands, and it will not eradicate the terrorism the world is experiencing but will instead give justification for further retaliatory action against any country anywhere in the world.

Mohammed Mukharish, a journalist, expressed fear that retaliatory strikes, intended by the U.S., were focused on the Islamic world, and the intention seemed to be to link Islam with terrorism.

Saudi writer and political analyst, Abdul Aziz Al Umary, said: "We all stand by the U.S. in any step it takes to eradicate terrorism, but we completely reject any hasty or rash act to take quick retaliatory action against any country, without being absolutely sure of its involvement."