I remember the first time a terrorist did something terrible in Riyadh. The first time someone caused an explosion.
People of Riyadh were shocked.
I was shocked.
Such things were unheard of. For years we lived in a safe city and we never really cared about security. A laid back relaxed place with not much stress or tension. That’s the Riyadh we grew up in. It’s still safe..but the stress is great.
By default and as per our upbringing, we respected our elders and rulers and teachers. We honored them and cherished them. We were not critical or demanding like people are today. Media had not destroyed the peace in our minds.
I used to always read the statements of our rulers on various issues and tried to understand reasoning and thoughts. It gave me a clear picture of what was expected from the group to enable success of the leader and thus the nation.
So…when the first blast at a compound happened. .all were afraid and concerned.
I wanted to see the reaction of our Minister of Interior. His reaction was published in the Arab News..I will not go search for the page or quote it..because the first few words he said gave us all enough comfort and strength to rise against such troublemakers…
“Our power is from Allah, we depend on Him”…
Prince Naif said it and truly Believed it also. .
You will never be forgotten sir.
Salute. May Allah grant you firdous.
Real Talk Blog : ali shah 