JEDDAH: Saudis woke up early on Monday to news of the death of Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, who was a Saudi national until he was stripped of his nationality in 1994.
Speaking to Arab News, a number of Saudis expressed satisfaction over the death of Bin Laden, who was behind the death of many citizens and others following terrorist operations in the country a few years ago.
“The killing of Bin Laden does not mean much at this point, particularly as Al-Qaeda has been weak for many years,” said Sarhan Al-Otaibi, professor of political science at King Saud University in Riyadh. “News of his death could serve a political purpose, particularly with the next American presidential elections coming up,” he added.
Al-Otaibi had no doubt that there would be a strong reaction from Bin Laden’s supporters, warning that US interests in all countries might become targets for revenge attacks.
He said news of Bin Laden’s death might be positive for some Arab countries experiencing political unrest, as it would draw attention away from them.
“However, in Libya I do not think NATO will change its strategy,” he added.
Al-Otaibi also believes the Yemeni government has exaggerated the presence of Al-Qaeda in the country to gain global sympathy and support to get rid of the organization’s cells in the country.
Al-Otaibi did not believe that Bin Laden’s death would cause divisions among the terrorist organization’s leadership. “There are no big leaders or groups that might fight for leadership. Al-Qaeda has become very weak of late,” he said.
Salem Al-Ghamdi, political editor for Al-Riyadh daily newspaper, believes Bin Laden’s death would end a number of problems in the world. “I only fear that his supporters may aim for revenge by targeting American interests, especially as Bin Laden was the spiritual leader of the organization,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi said Al-Qaeda is no longer present in the Kingdom after preemptive attacks by Saudi security forces that helped kicked the organization out of the Kingdom.
“The death of Bin Laden does not mean much to the Saudi people. He was a person non grata in the country after his citizenship was withdrawn from him. His death will also not have any effect on the Kingdom’s security,” Al-Ghamdi said.
On the repercussions that Bin Laden’s death might have on the Arab world, Al-Ghamdi believed that they would be short lived, if any. “It will not continue for more than a day, after which the Arab news channels will go back to their normal coverage of the political unrest in some countries in the region,” he said. A number of citizens who spoke to Arab News said there were not surprised by the news of Bin Laden’s death, as such reports had been circulated many times in the past. They said they heard many times that he was on dialysis and had died of kidney failure.
“The death of Bin Laden may represent the beginning of the end for deviant thought,” said Nasser Al-Saleh, a Saudi citizen.
He said people in the Kingdom were expecting news of his death for a long time. “We do not care if he is dead or alive. For us he has been unwelcome in our country for more than 17 years,” he said.
Marzouq Al-Bagami, another citizen, said the killing of Bin Laden was expected and not surprising. “This is the normal end for anyone who fights Allah and His Prophet and kills innocent people for no reason at all,” he said.
“The killing of Bin Laden does not mean much at this point, particularly as Al-Qaeda has been weak for many years,” said Sarhan Al-Otaibi, professor of political science at King Saud University in Riyadh. “News of his death could serve a political purpose, particularly with the next American presidential elections coming up,” he added.
Al-Otaibi had no doubt that there would be a strong reaction from Bin Laden’s supporters, warning that US interests in all countries might become targets for revenge attacks.
He said news of Bin Laden’s death might be positive for some Arab countries experiencing political unrest, as it would draw attention away from them.
“However, in Libya I do not think NATO will change its strategy,” he added.
Al-Otaibi also believes the Yemeni government has exaggerated the presence of Al-Qaeda in the country to gain global sympathy and support to get rid of the organization’s cells in the country.
Al-Otaibi did not believe that Bin Laden’s death would cause divisions among the terrorist organization’s leadership. “There are no big leaders or groups that might fight for leadership. Al-Qaeda has become very weak of late,” he said.
Salem Al-Ghamdi, political editor for Al-Riyadh daily newspaper, believes Bin Laden’s death would end a number of problems in the world. “I only fear that his supporters may aim for revenge by targeting American interests, especially as Bin Laden was the spiritual leader of the organization,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi said Al-Qaeda is no longer present in the Kingdom after preemptive attacks by Saudi security forces that helped kicked the organization out of the Kingdom.
“The death of Bin Laden does not mean much to the Saudi people. He was a person non grata in the country after his citizenship was withdrawn from him. His death will also not have any effect on the Kingdom’s security,” Al-Ghamdi said.
On the repercussions that Bin Laden’s death might have on the Arab world, Al-Ghamdi believed that they would be short lived, if any. “It will not continue for more than a day, after which the Arab news channels will go back to their normal coverage of the political unrest in some countries in the region,” he said. A number of citizens who spoke to Arab News said there were not surprised by the news of Bin Laden’s death, as such reports had been circulated many times in the past. They said they heard many times that he was on dialysis and had died of kidney failure.
“The death of Bin Laden may represent the beginning of the end for deviant thought,” said Nasser Al-Saleh, a Saudi citizen.
He said people in the Kingdom were expecting news of his death for a long time. “We do not care if he is dead or alive. For us he has been unwelcome in our country for more than 17 years,” he said.
Marzouq Al-Bagami, another citizen, said the killing of Bin Laden was expected and not surprising. “This is the normal end for anyone who fights Allah and His Prophet and kills innocent people for no reason at all,” he said.
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