Jiddah, Saudi Arabia ? The five men who attacked the U.S. consulate are being vilified by some Saudis as criminals, not lauded as heroes, even though they targeted the offices of a country that remains unpopular among many Arabs.

While support for al-Qaida remains strong in parts of Saudi Arabia and among some religious figures, a sophisticated government campaign to turn Saudi public opinion against Islamic extremists appears to have gained some ground.

Some Saudis are now referring to Islamic extremists as “the grim reapers.”

“They deserve the harshest punishment from the government,” hospital administrator Bandar al-Malki, 28, said Wednesday. “They want to ruin us.”

The family of one of the consulate attackers also condemned his act Wednesday, refusing to accept condolences for his death. And the country’s highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, called Monday’s rampage a great sin.

Saudi newspapers highlighted the agony of the victims’ families, the heroism of Saudi security forces and public resentment toward extremists — a line the papers have followed since the government began an aggressive anti-terror campaign after May 2003 bombing attacks on three residential compounds for Westerners and other foreigners.

Malki and some hospital colleagues are among those who support the campaign.

“I feel upset every time I hear this kind of news coming from my country,” said Ayman Hasan, 27. “The world should know that Islam does not condone such terror.”