JAFFA, Israel – Reactions to the truck-ramming terror attack in Nice on Thursday, which left more than 80 people dead and 100 injured, dominated Arab social media.

Some Islamic clerics denounced the attacks, to the protest of others.

Salman Alodah, a leading Islamic cleric, tweeted: “May the curse of Allah, the angels and the people come upon that murderer… Here and everywhere, an unwarranted killing, carried out by a man who hated life and humanity.”

Aeed Alqamee, a high-profile Saudi cleric who narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by radical Islamists, wrote: “It’s a heinous crime that no religion or common sense could accept… I pray to Allah against those who destroy life on earth.”

Bader Alamer, another Islamic cleric, wrote: “We condemn these acts not only because we fear France’s reprisal, or wish to prove that Islam isn’t a religion of violence, but because our religion does prohibit these acts and punishes their perpetrators.”

Anwar Gargash, a UAE minister, wrote: “These horrific terrorist crimes, like the attack in Nice, there’s no room for excuses, ‘buts’ or sickening political polemics.”

Abdullah Almuneifi, a Saudi activist, was less reverent: “If you look beyond the official statements, you’ll see that our hypocrites pain the attack in French, but say nothing in Arabic when there are Syrian and Iraqi victims.”

Turki Alhamad, an academic, wrote: “Now we’ll see all those who shed crocodile tears for the attack in Nice, but soon after will dry them and say, ‘yes but’ and start spreading the same viruses.”

He was probably referring to the famous Saudi activist Abdulrahman Saud, who had written: “Nice is no dearer than Aleppo, Homs and Flauja. The entire Arab land is hit 24/7 and the world is watching and doing nothing. Save your crocodile tears for your own victims.”

Mashaal Asulaimi, a Saudi activist, wrote similar things: “In Syria, Burma and other Muslim countries, every day ushers twice as many victims as Nice! Islam has nothing to do with this monstrosity.”

Muawiya Alseibari, a Gulf activist, shared pictures of what he claimed were Algerian victims of “the French colonialism” as well as other pictures and wrote: “Killing French people is Islamic terror, but killing a million Algerians and a million Iraqis isn’t Christian terror.”


“If an attacker is a Muslim he’ll be dubbed a terrorist, but if he’s not he’ll be dubbed mentally unstable,” Waled Alshmmri wrote. “Go to hell.”

“It’s an unfortunate event, but the daily catastrophes of Muslims in Syria and Iraq have left us no tears to share with you,” Sultan Altamimi wrote.