RIYADH, Aug 2: For a Saudi student and his two friends relaxing in the courtyard of the mosque where King Fahd’s funeral was held, it was their duty to join prayers for a man who they believe has done so much for Muslims. “We came early because we want to secure a place to join the prayers. We owe him more than that,” said Salem Hassan Jilan, 18, as workers cleaned the floor and others removed scaffolding a few hours before the ceremony for the Saudi monarch.
Like other members of the Saud dynasty, the late monarch ‘did a lot for Muslims and Arabs — they have stood by the Palestinians, the Muslim brethren in Chechnya and all afflicted people. He expanded the (site of) the two holy mosques and printed (millions of copies of) the Holy Quran,” Mr Jilan explained.
“We’ve been doing maintenance work,” shouted a labourer perched on the scaffolding.
The work was done by the BinLaden Group, one of the country’s major companies belonging to the family of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who was stripped of his Saudi citizenship and disowned by his family more than a decade ago.
As traffic flowed freely on Riyadh’s main avenues, with police patrols already a usual sight in this city hit by violence for over two years, security forces closed off the neighbourhood where the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque is located.
Unlike in other parts of town, shops shut down along the street bearing the same name as the mosque and the only cars to be seen were police vehicles patrolling the road. Royal Guard forces also deployed around the mosque hours before the funeral.
But even in that district, life did not come to a total standstill, with a branch of Riyadh Bank open just hours before the ceremony.
“Everything is alright on the security front, as you can see,” said Sultan Salem Basuleiman, a bank teller.
“I expect things to continue as before, and to be even better, God willing. King Abdullah has been in charge for many years,” said Basuleiman.
His ostensible confidence was shared by many Saudis, who kept any apprehensions they may have close to their chests.
“We’ve been secure all along... God willing the terrorists have been wiped out,” said Ahmad al Assiri, who strolled near the mosque, adding that he planned to come for the afternoon prayers after which the ‘prayer for the dead’ will be read.
Close to the mosque, Riyadh Governor Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz began receiving condolences of the capital’s notables and tribal chiefs before the funeral.
“I don’t think the terrorists will be able to take advantage (of the transition) to strike again because King Abdullah has already been at the helm for a long time,” said retired businessman Ahmad al-Abdali.
“Abdullah is loved (by the people). He is tough on the economy — he is keen to make sure that public funds are not squandered,” said Abdali, sounding relaxed as he returned home with his family from a holiday in Malaysia.
“The situation is stable and there’s nothing to fear. Oil production will continue as usual,” said Abdul Ilah al-Rabiei, a professor of Islamic education at Imam Mohammad bin Saud University.
Saudi newspapers overflowed with tributes to the late monarch as state television aired live the arrival of foreign dignitaries at Riyadh air base.
