Who brought ISIS back to the Gulf?

The terrorist crime that Muscat witnessed on the night of July 15 was shocking, not only to the brothers in Oman, but to all the peoples and countries of the region. The terrorist attack claimed by ISIS was strange in its circumstances, place and time.

Oman has been a land of tolerance and coexistence for centuries, and the Omani people are known for their tolerance, good morals, and acceptance of others, regardless of origin, religion, sect, or color. So how did this happen?! Oman has never witnessed manifestations of violence resulting from sectarian reasons, despite the great diversity that characterizes the society. Therefore, the July attack is considered an anomaly in Omani society, even if its perpetrators were Omanis.

This terrorist crime alerts us once again of the necessity of continuing to confront Islamist terrorist groups that adopt a discourse of violence, hatred, killing, and destruction against others. A few years ago, we expected that ISIS and its evil had become a thing of the past, but the emergence of this organization in a Gulf country nearly ten years after its operations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia calls for concern and requires caution and hard work.

ISIS chose Oman because it knows the extent of tolerance, coexistence, and harmony experienced by all sections of the society, and this is what disturbs extremists and terrorists. They choose a safe and stable country in order to destabilize its security and stability and to stir up strife among its sects, just as they did in other Arab countries that fell into the trap of strife and sectarianism and remained for years paying the price and trying to extinguish its fire. But Oman is stubborn against every lurker, and Oman’s leadership and people have the awareness that makes all the terrorists’ plans go unheeded and makes them drag the tails of disappointment and failure. All Gulf countries stand with Oman in these circumstances to confront this evil, and we are confident that Omani society will become more cohesive, tolerant and coexistent following this crime.

The truth is that what happened in the Wadi Al-Kabir area in Muscat cannot be reduced to Oman and considered a crime directed at Oman only. This cowardly act, which appeared in a sectarian nature, has dangerous dimensions for the entire region. At the same time, it is part of what we and many others have been warning about because of the war on Gaza, as there is nothing better than an atmosphere of war and tension for terrorists to spread their sick rhetoric and attract new members. The responsibility falls on Israel and the countries that support it to put an end to the war and stop the killing in Gaza. Violence only breeds violence, and the continuation of violence in one area for a long period allows violence to move and spread around and also provides fertile ground for terrorists to attract more fools.

This attack rings the bell loudly as we discover that ISIS is not finished, and that it is still capable of recruiting new elements and entering new areas where it had not previously had a foothold, and then carrying out terrorist operations and killing innocent victims by the dozens.