Saudi journalist on the lessons of 9/11: "We are still suffering the consequences"

Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Khamis, in an interview with Kan News marking 25 years since 9/11, describes the attack as a turning point that brought the discourse on Islamic extremism to the forefront, and the ongoing consequences for the Arab world. According to him, Saudi Arabia learned that moderation is the right way to deal with extremism.

Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Khamis was interviewed today (Thursday) on the program "In Our Neighborhood" on Kan News to mark 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. Al-Khamis, who was a journalist in London at the time, described the attack as a turning point that brought the discourse on Islamic extremism to the surface. "Many people looked at us as a source of danger," he said, adding that "we are still suffering the consequences of the event to this day." According to him, Osama bin Laden arrived in Afghanistan after trying to involve the militias he led in the Gulf War. Al-Khamis claimed that the Arab countries that supported al-Qaeda's activities, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, ultimately harmed themselves. "The Egyptians and Saudis are supposed to be against terrorism and extremist Islamic movements," he explained, noting that "there was no effective strategy against terrorism and the Muslim Brotherhood at the time." The lesson Saudi Arabia learned, he said, is that "justice lies in moderation," and that dealing with extremism requires serious attention to "every newspaper, online publication, and sermon delivered in places of worship on Friday." In his view, "not everyone who claims to speak in the name of religion has pure intentions for the benefit of Islam."