Manama: Hours after the tragic events that unfolded in the French capital Paris on Friday evening, Saudis on social media recalled how the late King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud had warned that terrorism would shift to Europe and the US if not enough action is taken to tackle it within the Arab world.
In a speech to the diplomats in the Saudi kingdom in August last year, King Abdullah said that he wanted them to convey to their leaders and countries the message that more efforts had to be exerted to tackle terrorism before the danger reaches their capitals.
“There is a crucial need to combat this evil by using force and speed,” the king who died in January said. “I urge my friends the ambassadors to convey the message that the only way to tackle terrorism is to move forcefully and speedily. Unfortunately, most of you have not really acted against it, and this is unfair to human civilization. You have witnessed how heads have been severed and how they made children walk with these heads in public. God does not accept that a single person is killed wrongfully because it amounts to killing all people on earth. Terrorists are killing people day and night; you are well aware of what they are doing and what they will do. If they are ignored, I am sure that within a month, they will reach Europe, and, one month later, they will reach the US,” he said.
Arab leaders have often warned that terrorism was cont confined geographically to one region or to a religion and that it should be battled by the international community without any concessions.
Leaders in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have expressed in cables of condolences to their French counterparts their sympathies over the deadly terrorist attacks.
Social media users in the Gulf expressed their support to France by posting pictures, expressions and prayers showing full solidarity with the French and the families of the victims and condemning the “cowardly attacks.”
The iconic Tour d’Eiffel and the French flag figured prominently on postings on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
