As Saudis mourn Al-Qasim, Brits should prepare for the same for ‘Brand UK'
As Saudis mourn the tragic loss of 20-year-old Mohammed Yousef Al-Qasim, a language student stabbed to death in Cambridge on the night of Aug. 1, the UK must confront a sobering reality: Its global image is bleeding alongside its streets.
Al-Qasim was attacked in an unprovoked knife assault near Mill Park, just steps from his residence. The assailant, Chas Corrigan, 21, has been charged with murder and possession of a knife. A second man was arrested for assisting the offender and a third suspect remains at large. The motives remain unclear, but the brutality is undeniable.
Al-Qasim was not just another foreign student, and should not be just a passing story or a number. He was a young, ambitious and bright man full of dreams, positivity and love. He enrolled in a 10-week English program with EF International Language Campuses. He had come to the UK to improve his language skills so he could build a better future. After his untimely death, we found out that he was also a volunteer who served pilgrims during Hajj, a soul described by not just his family, but also by Saudi officials, as kind, generous and full of promise.
Just over 20 years ago, I too packed my bags and left my family to study in the UK. I remember how I had to juggle the excitement, the ambition and the hope that came with the opportunity with the sadness of leaving home, and that look of concealed concern in my parents' eyes as they bid me farewell.
Al-Qasim did not die in a war zone — he died in a beautiful academic city once considered a second home for many Saudi students.
Faisal J. Abbas | Editor-in-Chief
But back in 2004, London and Cambridge were different places to what they are today in terms of safety — even as an Arab/Muslim living in the UK after the atrocious 7/7 attacks in 2005, I can safely say I never felt unsafe in Great Britain.
Today, I shudder to think what Al-Qasim's loving mother must be going through. Her son did not die in a war zone — he died in a beautiful academic city once considered a second home for many Saudi students. How proud must she have been to tell her friends that her son was off to study in 'Cambridge,' and how terrified and heartbroken must she have felt when she heard the news that her son had died for no apparent reason.
As if that were not enough, another video surfaced this week showing Saud bin Hariul Al-Subaie, a Saudi tourist in London, tackling a phone thief to the ground. The footage went viral, not just for its drama but for what it revealed: Phone snatching has become a phenomenon in the British capital. A phone is stolen every six minutes, with more than 78,000 snatch thefts reported in the past year — a 150 percent increase.
So when US President Donald Trump recently said London Mayor Sadiq Khan was doing a bad job, he was not wrong. Anyone who presides over an 86 percent increase in knife crime since taking office, and allows thuggery to flourish, is not a friend to the PM, Londoners — or to Britain's international visitors.
And please, spare us the excuse of 'limited resources.' If the Metropolitan Police can dispatch 11 officers to arrest peaceful activist Montgomery Toms on July 5 for simply wearing a placard at a trans parade, then surely they can spare a few officers to patrol hotspots and protect innocent civilians.
So what will be done to protect students, tourists, and those who still believe in Brand UK? These are not rhetorical questions — they demand answers.
Faisal J. Abbas | Editor-in-Chief
There are precedents of successful cracking down on crime in major cities. Rudy Giuliani's New York in the 1990s saw a 66 percent drop in murders and 67 percent drop in robberies, thanks to CompStat and a zero-tolerance approach. It was not perfect, but it worked. London needs its own Giuliani — not another apologist.
Back to Cambridge: Eyewitnesses told Al-Ekhbariya that the ambulance took more than 30 minutes to arrive. That delay, if true, raises serious questions. Was Al-Qasim's case not deemed urgent enough for the seven-minute response standard? Or did the drivers simply take their sweet time? Either way, the delay, if the eyewitnesses are to be believed, is unacceptable and must be investigated. This was not a case of a stolen wallet — this was a fatal knife attack.
So what will be done to protect students, tourists, and those who still believe in Brand UK? These are not rhetorical questions — they demand answers.
In the meantime, we at Arab News are announcing our support for the charity fund established by Al-Qasim's family to distribute water in his memory. The idea is to keep his memory alive by quenching the thirst of needy people across the Kingdom. Those wishing to donate — be they in the UK or Saudi Arabia — to the campaign can do so via this trusted government portal at https://ehsan.sa/donationcampaign/details/1828254.
Al-Qasim's death should not be in vain. It should be a wake-up call — not just for the UK, but for all of us who believe in the sanctity of life.
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