Extremist Teachings, Not Jobs, Cause of Terrorism

Arab News
JEDDAH
10 February 2005

Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi thinks extremist teachings, not unemployment, are the root causes of terrorism in Saudi Arabia.

Gosaibi blamed the spread of terrorism on the “indoctrination that teaches young people they can kill justifiably” and the training some extremists received in terror camps in Afghanistan.

“I don’t believe that terrorist movement has anything to do with unemployment,” the minister told reporters in Riyadh.

Unemployment has long been regarded as a major source of frustration in a region possessing one of the world’s youngest populations. Many also argue that economic hardships also drive young people from the region toward militancy.

“As you know Osama Bin Laden is a very rich man and all of his cronies are quite rich,” Gosaibi said. “(Venezuelan-born terrorist) Carlos (the Jackal) wasn’t exactly a beggar and I am not aware that somebody has been driven to terrorism simply because he could not find a job.”

The minister said the Kingdom’s official unemployment rate was five percent, representing 150,000 people, but unofficial estimates put the figure at up to 30 percent.

The Saudi government has embarked on an employment drive to reduce its dependency on its seven million-strong foreign labor force and reduce unemployment.

Gosaibi hopes half of the Kingdom’s jobless will be employed within the next six months, leaving 80,000 unemployed, “which is a very acceptable rate.”

On charges that the Kingdom has been doing too little to protect the rights of foreign workers, Gosaibi acknowledged there have been abuses, but said his ministry is determined to crack down on such practices.

“There are some abuses here related to the treatment of foreign workers and unfortunately a number of those who bring (laborers) here do not know how to treat them,” Gosaibi said. More than 1,000 people and organizations have been banned from employing foreign laborers “because they abused them in one way or another.”

The Labor Ministry has established a department to protect expatriate laborers, while laws pertaining to foreign workers are being reviewed.

In July, Human Rights Watch issued a harsh report charging that Asian workers in Saudi Arabia endured systematic abuse and discrimination. Saudi Arabia dismissed the report as exaggerated and vowed to crack down on abuses against foreign labor.

Extremist Teachings, Not Jobs, Cause of Terrorism: Gosaibi