Okaz

During our vacation in the US last summer, my sons extended an invitation to their American friend to spend his Christmas school vacation in Riyadh. The American parents were excited about the visit. We have good relations with them since they are our neighbors when we visit San Francisco.

After we issued a visit visa for their son, I found that the parents were suddenly hesitating to allow their son to visit Riyadh because they feared for his safety. This was because of the war news they hear about on TV and the general unrest in the region, which American TV channels concentrate on.

I told the American parents, somewhat sarcastically, that my family and I feel much safer in our neighborhood in Riyadh than we do when living in an elegant neighborhood in the US. If we did not watch TV, then we would not know about the wars, killing and destruction happening around us. We in Saudi Arabia are living in one of the safest and most stable areas of the whole world.

After sending that message, I began thinking about the peace and security we have in our country. I thanked God because of how lucky we are to live in this country with its leadership that has succeeded in protecting us from the turmoil in the region.

I thought of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and the wise leadership of the late King Fahd who succeeded in dealing with that crisis and engaged in one of the biggest wars at that time without any need for Saudis to feel insecure.

We should always remember this and we should work together to build this great nation and protect its security.