The Saudi people’s remarkable celebration thwarted the plans of incitement and sedition against them. Those lying in wait leave no opportunity to hope to undermine the Kingdom or incite against it. The enemies of the nation launch systematic campaigns against Saudi Arabia with the aim of harming and undermining it, using misleading campaigns that carry lies and fabricated news, in order to undermine the Kingdom’s pivotal role, its international weight, and its global reputation, believing that these practices may disrupt the wheel of development in it, and contribute to fueling hate speech and blind incitement against its leadership, security, and stability.

From time to time, Saudi Arabia is subjected to fierce incitement campaigns that have left no stone unturned. The instigators use social media platforms to influence society and achieve their goals. Their latest means was the Riyadh Season planes, which occupied their platforms and minds, only to be met with celebration from the aware Saudi people regarding the plane movements, reflecting society’s understanding of what is being plotted against it by the advocates of incitement and sedition.

An intellectual crisis... and the disruption of plans

Sociologist Talal Al-Nashri confirmed that some of the instigators are experiencing an intellectual crisis reflected in their arguments against Saudi Arabia. They seize every opportunity hoping to undermine the steps of civilization, prosperity, development, progress, and advancement that the Kingdom is experiencing under its wise leadership, which is leading the development and modernization process and achieving the vision to meet changing needs, reflect the Kingdom’s ambitions and capabilities, and ensure the full realization of Vision 2030.

He said: “The community’s awareness of the goals of the instigators of sedition and incitement has thwarted their plans and formed a strong and solid barrier against all those who incite hatred, racism, and exclusion against this nation. The instigators are spread across many locations, some appearing under their own names and others under pseudonyms. They are active on social media and behind the scenes, their movements like bats of darkness. Their fuel is hatred, envy, and the wish for the demise of blessings. The instigators use all methods of rumors, fabrication of accusations, and belittling of all efforts for development and progress as part of their agendas of evil and destruction. They even attack achievements, even if it means stripping those they target of their religion, morals, principles, and even patriotism, without caring about the corruption caused by their incitement. They deceive people into believing that what they are doing is criticism for the sake of reform, while they hide, like bats, their destructive intentions.”.

Foreign hands and the destruction of societies

Security expert retired Major General Abdullah Jadawi confirmed that the foreign hands that are trying to undermine the security of the homeland are known, but the most malicious of them is when the instigator is an instigator against his homeland to achieve a deviant agenda, and in an effort to destroy societies, trying to seize events to practice incitement. Therefore, it is the duty of everyone to block the path of any rogue, fanatic, or instigator.

He explained that it is necessary to uncover the motives and goals in order to facilitate confronting them, being wary of them, and stopping their activity. The instigator pretends to be a lover of the community in order to gain trust, before he broadcasts against society to begin the stage of incitement.

He added: “The instigators left no stone unturned in their efforts. We still remember how they used the sacred ritual (Hajj) in their political machinations to achieve their goals of harming and distorting the Kingdom. They expected that politicizing the Hajj ritual would turn it into a media and popular snowball in the Islamic world that would roll on until it achieved their goals.”.

Major General Al-Jadawi stressed that Saudi Arabia, from its founder King Abdulaziz until today, has been subjected annually to multiple smear campaigns from different parties, but these campaigns are shattered against the walls of a conscious people who are aware of their malicious plans.

He added: “We are living in a different era, full of ambition and optimism, and we are achieving about 87% of the goals of (Vision 2030), which was launched on April 25, 2016, following the assumption of leadership of the Kingdom by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister.”.

Warning against those who incite sedition

The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia warned against the dangers of rumors, including receiving, spreading, and circulating them, especially if they harm the higher interests of religion and the nation, damage social cohesion and unity, or target the rulers, scholars, security personnel, and symbols of the Kingdom. The Secretariat explained that reports have uncovered a large number of fake accounts on social media platforms, whose aim is to spread rumors and incite discord in Saudi Arabia, particularly after their numerous attempts to achieve their nefarious goals throughout the Kingdom's history have failed.

The Authority pointed to the actions of the channels of misinformation and sedition that have fueled many sectarian and doctrinal conflicts, and have become a mouthpiece for terrorist groups, whose goal is to “divide up countries and scatter peoples, and then neither they nor the regimes that sponsor them care about the interests of the peoples of the region and its inhabitants; whether they die of hunger, or are divided into sects, or are scattered into factions, or are torn apart into parties.”.

She warned against websites and channels that incite sedition and discord, and against “advocates of tearing apart homelands and tampering with their unity, and fueling sedition and stirring up division.”.

The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars stressed that “among the blessings of God Almighty upon Saudi Arabia is the unity of its land and the strength of its security, ruled by rulers who are serious and resolute in preserving this unity and this nation under the banner of (There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God).”.

She stressed that “this great blessing must be appreciated and preserved, and the state, with its judicial and security apparatus and its conscious and loyal people, is capable of maintaining security and stability, promoting prosperity, and enhancing its Arab and Islamic leadership and global influence in a way that serves Islam, Muslims, and humanity in general.”.

Penalty for disturbing public order

Legal advisor and lawyer Majid Al-Ahmari confirmed that Article Six of the Anti-Cybercrime Law stipulates that anyone who produces, prepares, sends, or stores anything that would prejudice public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life via the information network or a computer device shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding three million riyals, or by one of these two penalties.

Anyone who creates or publishes a website or computer for trafficking in human beings, or facilitates such trafficking, or creates, publishes, or promotes materials and data related to pornographic networks or gambling activities that violate public morals, or creates or publishes a website or computer for trafficking in drugs, psychotropic substances, or methods of using them, or facilitates dealing in them, shall also be punished.

He pointed out that Article Nine stipulates that anyone who incites, assists, or agrees with another to commit any of the crimes stipulated in this system shall be punished, if the crime is committed based on this incitement, assistance, or agreement, with a punishment not exceeding the maximum penalty prescribed for it, and shall be punished with a punishment not exceeding half of the maximum penalty prescribed for it if the original crime does not occur.

Countering incitement:

Public awareness of the goals of those who incite sedition and the thwarting of their plans

Confronting those who incite hatred and exclusion

Blocking the path of any renegade or instigator

Uncover the motives and goals of the instigators and be wary of them