The Siege

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It is four decades ago, a charismatic preacher and his followers staged an armed takeover of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, was a killing field. The resulting siege, writes the BBC's Eli Melki, shook shaken the Muslim world to its foundations and changed the course of Saudi history.

In the Early Hours of the morning of the 20th. November 1979, some 50,000 believers from around The World gathered for dawn prayers in the huge courtyard around the Holy Kaaba in Mecca, Islam's holiest place. Among them, 200 Men of mixed, led by a charismatic 40-year-old preacher named Juhayman al-Utaybi.

As The Imam finished leading prayers, Juhayman and his followers, put it aside and seized the microphone.

they lay in closed coffins in the middle of the court, to seek a traditional act of blessing for the recently deceased. But when the coffins were opened, we found pistols and rifles, which were quickly distributed among The Men .

The ka'bah began in 1971 One of them to read a prepared speech: "brothers in faith, we enter today the arrival of the Mahdi... is a king with justice and fairness on the earth, After it was filled with injustice and oppression. "

For The Pilgrims in the courtyard, this was an extraordinary announcement. In the Hadith reports of what The Prophet Muhammad or approved - the coming of the Mahdi, or the God is guided, is predicted. He is described as A Man , endowed with extraordinary powers, the faith of God, and some Muslims, it will usher in the era of justice and true faith.

The Preacher , Khaled al-Yami, a follower of Juhayman, claiming That "countless visions, testifies to the coming of the Mahdi". Hundreds of Muslims had seen him in her dreams, Yami said, and now he was in their midst. The Mahdi is the name of Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Qahtani was.

In an audio recording of the speech, Juhayman can be heard, interrupting the speaker from time to time his direct Men , in the vicinity of The Shrine of The Gates and take up sniper positions in its high minarets, dominates The City of Mecca.

"attention, brothers! Ahmad al-Lehebi, go up on the roof. If you see someone resist, at The Gates , shoot them!"

According to an anonymous witness, Juhayman was The First tribute to the Mahdi, and now others began to follow his example. Shouts of "God is great!" resounded.

However, it the confusion was. Abdel Moneim Sultan, an Egyptian religious student who had to know That some of Juhayman followers, indicates That the great Mosque was full of foreign visitors spoke only a little Arabic and knew not what was to happen.

Abdel Moneim Sultan, a student in 1979, was A Witness to the events, The sight of armed Gunmen in a room, in which The Koran forbids any kind of violence, and a couple of shots, also stunned many of the faithful, which is encrypted, to get are leaves still left open.

"people were surprised at the sight of The Armed . This is something they were not accustomed to. There is No Doubt this shocked you. This was something unheard of," says Abdel Moneim Sultan.

, But in just One hour, the bold acquisition was completed. The Armed group was now in full control of the great Mosque , to the best of its own, a direct challenge to The Authority of the Saudi Royal Family .

The Men took over the Grand Mosque belonged to an Association called al-Jamaa al-Salafiya al-Muhtasiba (JSM) condemned what he perceived as the degeneration of the social and religious values in Saudi Arabia .

flush with oil money, the Country was gradually transformed into a consumer society. Cars and electrical appliances were becoming commonplace, and was completed in the Country of urbanization, and to mix in some regions, Men and women began, in the public.

But the JSM members continue To Live a bitter life, missionary work, studying The Koran and the hadiths, and the adherence to the principles of Islam, as defined by the Saudi Arabian religious establishment.

Juhayman, One of the JSM founder - who comes out of Sajir, a Bedouin settlement in the center of the Country - confessed to his followers That his past was anything other than perfect. At the end of a long evening by the fireplace in the desert, or a meeting in The House of One of his followers, he would say, his personal story of fall and redemption to a delighted audience.

The Siege triggered protests by Muslims in other parts of The World , Usama al-Qusi, a religious student who attends meetings of The Group , belongs to say Juhayman, he would have been in "the illegal trade, including drug smuggling".

But , he had repented, found solace in religion and became a zealous and devoted leader, and many members of the JSM, especially the younger ones, to draw under its spell.

Most of those Who Knew him, such as religious students Mutwali Saleh, witnesses of his force of personality as well as his devotion: "no One saw This Man and did not like him. He was strange. He had what charisma means. He was faithful to his mission, and he gave his whole life for Allah, day and night. "

Nevertheless, for a religious leader, he was poorly educated.

"Juhayman was eager to go to the isolated and rural areas in which Bedouin life," Nasser al-Hozeimi, a close supporter, she recalls. "Because of his use of classical Arabic [the language of the dominated, which was of all the scholars of Islam] weak, and he had a large Bedouin accent, Exposed to he avoided-to avoid addressing an educated audience is. "

More from the BBC ArabicOn The Other hand, Juhayman had served as a soldier in The National Guard , and his rudimentary military training proved to be important when it comes to the organization of the takeover.

Eventually, the JSM began to clash with some of the Saudi cleric and a crackdown by The Authorities followed.

Juhayman fled into the wilderness, where he wrote a series of booklets criticism of the Saudi Royal Family for what he called its decadence, and accused clerics agreements with it for earthly profit. He was convinced That Saudi Arabia had been damaged and That only a divine intervention could bring salvation.

It was at this point That he had identified the Mahdi is Mohammad Bin Abdullah al-Qahtani, a soft-spoken young preacher speak, well-known for its Good Manners , devotion, and poetry.

The hadiths speak of a Mahdi with The First name and the name of the father, similar to the prophets, and the functions described by a wide forehead and a very thin, curved nose. Juhayman saw all of this in al-Qahtani, But the supposed Savior himself was surprised by the idea. Overwhelmed, he pulled himself into the prayer.

Finally, however, he emerged from his isolation convinced That Juhayman was the right One . He took on The Role of the Mahdi, and The Alliance with Juhayman was sealed, all are tight, if Qahtani was the older sister of Juhayman, the second wife.

Convenient, a few months before The Siege , strange rumors spread That hundreds of the Meccans and The Pilgrims al-Qahtani in her dreams had seen to stand upright, in the great Mosque , and hold The Banner of Islam.

Juhayman followers were convinced. Mutwali Saleh, a member of the JSM, recalls: "I remember the Last Meeting , when a brother asked me:" brother Mutwali, what do you think about the Mahdi?' I said to him, 'Excuse me, please, don't talk about this topic. 'Then someone said to me, 'you are a mute devil. Brother, the Mahdi is real, and he is Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Qahtani. '"

In the remote areas where he had found refuge, Juhayman and his followers began preparations for violent conflict to come.

The Saudi leadership has responded only sluggishly to the seizure of the great Mosque .

Crown Prince Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was in Tunisia, in the Arab League summit, and Prince Abdullah, chief of The National Guard -an elite security force with the task of protecting The Royal leaders - in Morocco. It is the ailing king Khaled and Minister of defense Prince remained to coordinate the Sultan, a response.

The Saudi police are not understood, the extent of the problem and sent to investigate a couple of patrol cars, But when they went to the great Mosque they came under a hail of bullets.

when was the seriousness of The Situation , the units of The National Guard , launched a hasty effort to retake control of The Shrine .

Mark Hambley, a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jeddah, And One of The Few Westerners, who says of this situation, were aware, this attack was brave, But naive. "You were shot immediately," he says. "The sharp-shooters had very good weapons, very good caliber Belgian rifles. "

It was clear That The Rebels had planned their attacks in detail and not simply would be displace to. A security cordon was established around the great Mosque , and Special Forces , paratroopers and armored units were called.

But Qahtani was the faith in his own invulnerability to be unfounded and he was soon struck by gunfire.

Mark Hambley: The Saudis pushed The Rebels deeper into The Catacombs of The French plan proved to be successful.

islam, mohammed bin salman, long reads, mecca, saudi arabia

Source of news: bbc.com