There’s a full-court press, likely at the instigation of Saudi Arabia’s government, to discourage would-be jihadis from traveling up to Syria. Saudi Gazette/Okaz report that a wide array of authority figures are warning enthusiastic youths of the potential dangers and about how their brothers and cousins fell into traps in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Iraq. Usefully, they are pointing out that appearances can deceive and that it’s hard to determine ulterior motives from a distance.
Instead, they say, they should be working from within the Saudi system that is already praying for and raising funds for humanitarian assistance. Government efforts to exclude zealot preachers from Saudi mosques is also applauded.
