UNIPATH STAFF
His Majesty King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has promised to retaliate against the supporters of violent extremist groups that prey on the vulnerabilities of young people.
His comments came a day after suicide bombers struck three cities in what appeared to be a coordi-nated attack in July 2016.
In a speech marking Eid al-Fitr, King Salman said a major challenge facing Saudi Arabia was preserving hope for youth who face the risk of radicalization. “We will strike with an iron hand those who target the minds and thoughts … of our dear youth,” the king said.
Four security officers were killed in the attacks that targeted foreign diplomats, Shiite worshippers and a security headquarters at a mosque in the holy city of Medina. The attacks appeared to have been timed to coincide with the approach of Eid al-Fitr.
The United Nations human rights chief described the bombing outside the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina as “an attack on Islam itself” and said many Muslims expressed shock that their second-holiest site had been targeted.
“This is one of the holiest sites in Islam, and for such an attack to take place there, during Ramadan, can be considered a direct attack on Muslims all across the world,” said Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, U.N. high commissioner for human rights and a member of the Jordanian royal family.
Religious and political leaders across the Middle East denounced the attacks. Sources: Reuters, Gulf News