Tribalism is a pre-Islamic practice. If it spreads in a place, it causes its fragmentation. If the enemies of any country want to harm it, they make stirring up tribalism a way to reach their goal.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade tribalism, saying, “Leave it, for it is foul.” This means he was saying no to prejudice based on appearance, color, or tribe. He also said, “No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor a white person to a black person, nor anyone to another, except through piety.” The purpose of tribes is not to promote prejudice, as God Almighty says, “And We have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you.”.

The Saudi leadership has put the homeland and the citizen first, so it has become one people and one nation behind a wise leadership that has spared no expense to strengthen national unity and instill it in the youth and the entire society under the umbrella of religion, values ​​and laws to ward off dangers and foil conspiracies against the homeland, and to preserve the gains of the great homeland in a sound methodology that guarantees its stability. This is what the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has affirmed more than once, that the sons of the homeland are equal in rights and duties and there is no difference between one citizen and another. This is what the pillars of the state are based on, and adherence to the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger, which called for preserving and protecting human rights.

Hateful posts

Attempts to undermine national unity through the use of influential means on social media platforms and through irresponsible actions by some are shattered against the rock of national cohesion. In light of security vigilance that has succeeded in thwarting all attempts and actions that would incite tribalism and harm national unity and social peace, and in bringing the perpetrators to justice and applying the maximum penalties against them, the security authorities at the Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of seven citizens and their referral to the Public Prosecution for committing crimes that threaten national unity, peace and community security by publishing posts that incite hateful tribalism, hatred and animosity in society.

The announcement of the arrest of these individuals came as they committed crimes that threaten national unity, peace, and community security by publishing posts that incite hateful tribal prejudice and animosity. It was stated that anyone who tries to undermine national unity by inciting hateful tribal prejudices will face a deterrent punishment.

Those arrested are anomalies that do not represent Saudi society, nor do they reflect its awareness and understanding of the seriousness of such irresponsible practices. All the people of the Kingdom, throughout the history of the founding of the blessed state, are proud of their cohesion and rallying around their national unity, their rejection of all causes of division and discord, and their agreement to combat aberrant practices that represent only their perpetrators.

The law is watching these people

State agencies will firmly confront any attempts to undermine national unity and incite hateful tribalism and prejudices, as this constitutes a blatant affront to the principles of unity, coalition, and consensus upon which this state was founded. It sows discord among members of society and spreads hatred and animosity. This is considered an attack on public order and a crime punishable by law, which necessitates raising awareness of the seriousness of these dangerous practices and their negative repercussions on security and social peace.

The relevant authorities are working seriously and firmly to monitor all posts and statements that threaten the security and safety of society and endanger national unity, and anyone who is involved in inciting tribalism by any means will be held accountable and subject to legal action.

Space series content

In another incident, an official source in the Public Prosecution confirmed that, based on what was documented by the Public Prosecution's monitoring center regarding the circulation of informational content via social media, related to a series on one of the satellite channels, which includes content that broadcasts tribal fanaticism, spreads the spirit of hatred and animosity among members of society, undermines national cohesion and the unity of the social fabric, and insults others with obscene language that is outside the context of public morals, the Public Prosecution issued an order to arrest the owner of the content based on Articles (15 and 17) of the Criminal Procedure Law, and to quickly refer him to the Public Prosecution.

The Criminal Investigation and Research Department of the Riyadh Police also arrested 10 citizens for documenting and publishing content that resulted in inciting tribal tensions among a number of people.

Public Security published on its official account on the (X) platform the details of their arrest, as it was initially announced that six people had been arrested, and it was announced that four other people who had a role in the incident had been arrested and the legal procedures had been taken against them, and they had been referred to the competent authority.

Security authorities in the Riyadh, Hail and Northern Borders regions arrested a number of drivers for placing stickers with content that incites tribalism. They were detained, legal procedures were taken against them, and they were referred to the Public Prosecution.

The Ministry of Interior stands firmly against sectarianism

The Ministry of Interior warned against anything that could disrupt public order, emphasizing that security forces will stand firmly against anyone attempting to undermine national unity by inciting hateful tribalism, and that they will face severe consequences. The Ministry affirmed that national unity in Saudi Arabia is a red line that cannot be crossed or influenced in any way, and that it is the state's duty to prevent anything that leads to discord, sedition, and division, in accordance with Article 12 of the Basic Law of Governance.

Ignorance does not absolve one of responsibility

Lawyer and legal consultant Abdulaziz Al-Qulaisi affirmed that the legal system severely punishes those who incite bigotry and tribalism, adding: “What some people do on social media platforms under the pretext of ignorance and lack of knowledge does not exempt them from punishment and criminal responsibility, as it is considered a major crime warranting arrest.” He added: “The procedures include arresting the perpetrator and referring them to the competent court.”.

He stressed that some crimes are compound crimes, combining intolerance, incitement of hatred, harm to national unity and public order, and the production of anything that would harm public order. Article 12 of the Basic Law of Governance stipulates that strengthening national unity is a duty, and the state prevents everything that leads to discord, sedition, and division. It also emphasized strengthening national unity and preventing everything that leads to discord, sedition, and division.

Lawyer Al-Qalisi explained that the cybercrime law stipulates that whoever produces, prepares, or sends anything that would harm public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life via the information network or a computer device shall be punished with imprisonment and a fine. The imprisonment period in this penalty shall not exceed five years, and the fine shall not exceed three million riyals. He indicated that the penalty may be one of these two penalties or both together.

He stressed that Article Five of the Audiovisual Media Law stipulates that no exposure should be made to anything that would incite discord, division, and hatred among citizens, incite violence, or threaten social peace, and its punishment is as stated in Article 17 of the same law, without prejudice to any more severe penalty stipulated by another law. Anyone who violates the provisions of the law or the regulations shall be punished with one or more of the penalties, with a fine not exceeding 10 million riyals, suspension from practicing the profession for a period not exceeding six months, cancellation of the license, and the fine imposed or prescribed shall be doubled in the event of a repetition of the violation, its continuation, or failure to correct it within the period specified by the Authority.

Strengthening national unity is a duty

The Public Prosecution has declared that producing, preparing, sending, or storing content that incites sectarianism or tribalism and could harm public order through social media or the internet constitutes a cybercrime. In a statement, the Public Prosecution said, "The perpetrator of this crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of up to three million riyals." It added, "Anyone who produces, prepares, sends, or stores content that could harm public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life via the internet or any computer device is punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding three million riyals, or by either of these penalties.".

The Public Prosecution affirmed that strengthening national unity is a duty, and the state prohibits everything that leads to discord, sedition, and division. Moreover, publishing what spreads hatred and animosity and incites abhorrent tribal fanaticism through social media is considered an attack on public order and is one of the major crimes that warrant arrest, and its penalty reaches five years imprisonment and a fine of three million riyals, according to Article Six of the Cybercrime Law.

For his part, retired Major General Salem Al-Tarifi affirmed that Islam came to end tribalism, stating, "The most significant ways to undermine and fragment national unity are through tribalism, sectarianism, the creation of social stratification, and mutual recrimination." He further explained that the Kingdom enjoys a cohesive and resilient national fabric upon which all enemy conspiracies are shattered.