Funeral prayers for Prince Naif will be performed at the Haram Mosque in Makkah afterMaghreb(sunset) prayers tomorrow, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting aRoyal Courtstatement.
Prince Naif was appointed crown prince and deputy premier on October 27 last year, succeeding the late Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz following his death on October 22, 2011. Born in Taif in 1934, Prince Naif has been involved in Saudi Arabian political life for nearly six decades. He held a number of important posts throughout his career. He was chosen as governor ofRiyadhin 1953. He was appointed deputy interior minister in 1970, before being appointed interior minister in 1975. It is in this latter role that Prince Naif is most well-known. He was named second deputy premier in 2009.
Prince Naif has been hugely successful in combating terrorism inSaudi Arabia, and Al-Qaeda in particular, forcing the terrorist organization to practically flee the country for neighboringYemenand elsewhere. The terrorist attacks that occurred inSaudi Arabiain 2003 represent perhaps the sternest test faced by Prince Naif. However his calm and collected handling of this crisis, and the subsequent successes he achieved in combating Al Qaeda, is something that everybody can clearly recall.
Prince Naif’s successful tactics and methods of combating terrorism in the Kingdom are today held up as an example by the international community. He targeted terrorism financing in particular, dismantling charities that used to collect donations for Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, whilst also attempting to rehabilitate Saudi caught in the clutches of religious extremism. The “Munasaha” rehabilitation program attempts to rehabilitate the extremist ideology and beliefs of those found guilty of terrorism-related offenses. This program has brought to him international accolades. Prince Naif’s tactics in the “war on terror” have led political leaders and security experts to call on intelligence and security agencies around the world to benefit from the Saudi counter-terrorism experience
Prince Naif has been successful in protecting and maintaining the security and stability ofSaudi Arabia, and surmounting numerous crises. For more than three decades, he protectedSaudi Arabia’s national security, and stood against all those who have attempted to destabilize the Kingdom.
Prince Naif is also known for his philanthropic and charitable work, and he played a prominent role in supervising relief operations for the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples. He played an important role in leading the Kingdom’s efforts and programs to provide aid and relief to people affected by war or natural disaster across the globe. Prince Naif’s commitment to education is also well-known. He has pursued a policy of providing special training and education programs to the interior ministry staff. He also founded the Naif Arab University of Security Sciences, which specializes in security related studies.
Prince Naif is known as a straight-talking and wise government official, and he has a particularly strong relationship with the media. He was one of the longest serving Arab interior ministers, and has strong diplomatic relations with Arab and international officials and world leaders. At the time of death, he was honorary president of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers. Prince Naif also held a number of other important posts inSaudi Arabia, including chairman of the Executive Council of Civil Defense, chairman of the Human Resources Development Fund, chairman of the Executive Commission for Industrial Security, and chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee.
