Saudis’ Number 15

Adnan Ansari

Rabi' al-Awwal 23, 1440 2018-12-01

Letters To The Editor

by Adnan Ansari (Letters To The Editor, Crescent International Vol. 47, No. 10, Rabi' al-Awwal, 1440)

The Saudis seem to have a strange fascination with the number 15. Take the brutal murder of Jamal in the Kingdom’s consulate on October 2. Fifteen people were sent from Saudi Arabia to carry out the gruesome act. Most people will recall that there were 15 Saudis among the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attacks. Whatever the involvement of the 15 Saudis, the fact is that 15 of them were involved in the hijacking. What is with the number 15 that so fascinates the Saudis?

Some people consider the number 7 to be their lucky number. In the West, the number 13 is considered unlucky, entertaining all kinds of superstitions. Are we to assume that the Saudis consider “15” to have some kind of bearing on their actions? Only the Wahhabis will be able to tell us. One hopes they will address the mystery for this curious Muslim.

Adnan Ansari
Detroit, MI, US