Abdo Khal

Okaz



I do not understand why our media has not given enough attention to the issue of the Saudi scholarship student who recently smashed Buddhist statutes at the Sensoji temple in Tokyo.



There is no point in asking people not to blow up the issue "because the student is our son and is part of our society."



People who ask for this kind of favor should realize that the matter has already become a public opinion issue in Japan. All the media and social networking sites in Japan have given much attention to the issue.



Those who do not believe me should browse the English sites of the Japanese newspapers on the Internet to see for themselves that every single minute detail of the student's abhorrent action was mentioned.



A famous Japanese government TV station has aired a long investigative report about the incident. This really surprised the Japanese people because they were not used to this reserved TV station giving so much time to such incidents not of a political nature.



Let us be open and transparent and say the Japanese people value their culture and beliefs more than they do the balance of trade or the volume of investments with other countries.



The Japanese are very sublime, disciplined and refined people. They have deep-rooted traditions that they would not like anyone to tamper with.



The Saudi student is a graduate from Keio University so he is not young or irresponsible. He admitted that he had done the same thing before.



This means that our Saudi student has done what he has done with bad intention. He sneaked into the temple during the night and vandalized some statues that are considered of valuable cultural and religious value.



What our student has done in Japan will make you certain that he has not gone there for education but he has used the scholarship program just as a cover to do his shameful work.



There are people who are trying to implicate the scholarship program of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. This program is the best thing that happened to us in many years.



Thousands of Saudi male and female students are now studying abroad under this program. They will come back to uplift their country and contribute to its development. We should not also forget we are still trying to repair the destruction to us by the 9/11 attacks.



Under public pressure resulting from such actions, it will not be surprising if some governments asked our students to pack up and go home. No government in the East or the West can stand against the will of its people.

So please do not anger our friends in the East or the West by showing disrespect to their cultures and religious beliefs.