JEDDAH — Young Saudis throughout the Kingdom have welcomed a call for military conscription by Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, grand mufti and head of the Senior Scholars Commission and the Ifta Council. “Young Saudis must be enlisted in the army to utilize their energies in defending the country against its enemies,” the Grand Mufti said in his Friday sermon at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh. Talking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, a number of young men welcomed the call and said they were ready to serve the country. They described the call as timely due to the Kingdom's military action near its southern frontiers. A number of young men said military conscription would enable them to carry arms to defend their country. They said they were ready for military training and would have no problem being called for compulsory service. According to official statistics, citizens under 25 constitute about half of the population. There are 5 million male citizens aged 15-29. A Shoura Council member, however, said the Kingdom does not need to rely on military conscription at the moment. Saud Al-Subaie, chairman of the council's security affairs committee, believes young men will volunteer to join the army on their own free will if necessary. He recalled the First Gulf War when thousands of young men volunteered to join the army in the fight to liberate Kuwait. “If the Kingdom, God forbid, is threatened at any time, all its young and old men will volunteer to defend the country and religion,” he said. The Shoura Council had some years back called for the introduction of compulsory military service under a project named the “Flag Service”. The project has, however, remained dormant since then. A number of residents in Al-Ahsa city welcomed the mufti's call and said military conscription will reinforce the Kingdom's security and help protect it against any foreign conspiracies. Ahmed Bin Ibrahim, director of the branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance in the region, thanked the mufti for the initiative and said it would “toughen up” young men. “The enlisted young men will be capable of confronting the enemy and defending the country and its religion,” he said. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Ali, a resident, said compulsory military service will not only enable the young men to defend their country but will also strengthen their loyalty and sense of belonging to the Kingdom. Khaled Bin Hamad Al-Khaldi said the Grand Mufti's call has brought “joy and happiness”, not only to young Saudi men but to all citizens who can carry arms. “If the king decides to introduce military conscription, you will see thousands and thousands of young Saudi men rushing to be enlisted,” he said. Mohammed Al-Thaqib, a citizen, said it was a sacred duty on every Saudi man to defend his country and his religion against any foreign attack. “We are quite ready for this,” he said. Dignitaries and tribal chiefs in Al-Baha also hailed the mufti's initiative. Abdul Rahman Hashim, chief of Bani Khatheem tribe, said all young men of his tribe were “exulted” by the mufti's call. “Defending the country and its faith is a religious and national duty for us all,” he said. Osman Bin Suwaid, chief of the Bani Kabeer tribe, said the mufti's opinion needed further study before it was put into action. “If the government approves the move, we will never hesitate to join the army to defend our country,” he said.
