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Did you know there was a group of Wahhabi Islamists that attempted to rip control of the “Great Mosque” in Mecca on November 20, 1979? The leader was a Sunni Wahhabi by the name of Juhayman al Uteybi.
Uteybi was no relation to the Saudi Royal Family. Apparently this is significant because the Saudi Royal Family of the time was attempting to liberalize the Saudi nation at the time and this Uteybi seizure of the “Great Mosque” was a Wahhabi response to the Saudi liberalization.
Let’s see, I was exactly 23 at the time. I have to be honest with you I have absolutely no recollection of that event in history. Do you?
Apparently it struck fear in the Saudi Royal Family who is supposed to be the modern protector of the Mohammedan holy city of Mecca. This Uteybi guy was so successful in seizing Mecca that the Saudi military needed help to re-take the “Great Mosque” in Mecca.
I became aware of all this through the posting of Mark A. Taylor of the ccpga Yahoo Group who discovered a book review by Thomas Lippman of a book entitled The Siege Of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda, by Yaroslav Trofimov.
To get a time frame in your mind Lippman points out this is a year in history that a whole lot of events of notoriety occurred:
Here is the thing; I remember every one of the above events of history. I do not recall the siege of Mecca. There is a good reason for this.
This was humiliating for the Saudis. The Saudis asked for foreign help but not from any MUSLIM NATIONS. Indeed Jordan offered to help but the Saudis refused Jordanian help. Lippman’s book review does not go into why Jordan’s offer was refused but I can guess. The Hashemite family had been protectors of Mecca but the first Saudi king wrested the honor away from the Hashemites. The Hashemite Royal Family of Jordan claims direct descent from the founder of Mohammedanism – Mohammed. I am uncertain of the details but there has been a loose rivalry ever since.
The foreign help that came were in the guise of French Commandos who eventually entered the city forbidden to non-Muslims and gained victory. Saudi officials have refused to discuss the event in their history for years.
It was from the ashes of this “Great Mosque” siege that was broken by a non-Muslim nation that the Saudi Royal Family began to re-adopt the harsh Wahhabi ways and forsaking any thought of liberalizing Saudi society.
Lippman says the author Trofimov implies that an already breeding radical Islamism became a global radical Islamic starting point for massive transnational terrorist movements like Usama bin Laden’s al Qaeda.
I believe I have to get this book.
JRH
Uteybi was no relation to the Saudi Royal Family. Apparently this is significant because the Saudi Royal Family of the time was attempting to liberalize the Saudi nation at the time and this Uteybi seizure of the “Great Mosque” was a Wahhabi response to the Saudi liberalization.
Let’s see, I was exactly 23 at the time. I have to be honest with you I have absolutely no recollection of that event in history. Do you?
Apparently it struck fear in the Saudi Royal Family who is supposed to be the modern protector of the Mohammedan holy city of Mecca. This Uteybi guy was so successful in seizing Mecca that the Saudi military needed help to re-take the “Great Mosque” in Mecca.
I became aware of all this through the posting of Mark A. Taylor of the ccpga Yahoo Group who discovered a book review by Thomas Lippman of a book entitled The Siege Of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda, by Yaroslav Trofimov.
To get a time frame in your mind Lippman points out this is a year in history that a whole lot of events of notoriety occurred:
That year began with the Iranian revolution and ended with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In between, Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel, radicalizing the Palestinians. Saddam Hussein took power in Iraq. And the former prime minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was hanged by the general who overthrew him, Mohammed Zia ul-Haq - the leader who would turn the struggle against the Soviets in Afghanistan into a religious war that inspired zealots such as Osama bin Laden.
Here is the thing; I remember every one of the above events of history. I do not recall the siege of Mecca. There is a good reason for this.
This was humiliating for the Saudis. The Saudis asked for foreign help but not from any MUSLIM NATIONS. Indeed Jordan offered to help but the Saudis refused Jordanian help. Lippman’s book review does not go into why Jordan’s offer was refused but I can guess. The Hashemite family had been protectors of Mecca but the first Saudi king wrested the honor away from the Hashemites. The Hashemite Royal Family of Jordan claims direct descent from the founder of Mohammedanism – Mohammed. I am uncertain of the details but there has been a loose rivalry ever since.
The foreign help that came were in the guise of French Commandos who eventually entered the city forbidden to non-Muslims and gained victory. Saudi officials have refused to discuss the event in their history for years.
It was from the ashes of this “Great Mosque” siege that was broken by a non-Muslim nation that the Saudi Royal Family began to re-adopt the harsh Wahhabi ways and forsaking any thought of liberalizing Saudi society.
Lippman says the author Trofimov implies that an already breeding radical Islamism became a global radical Islamic starting point for massive transnational terrorist movements like Usama bin Laden’s al Qaeda.
I believe I have to get this book.
JRH
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8 comments:
People who attempt to control Masjid-ul-harm were not wahhabis, they were persian and they wanted some of there people released from jail.
Only Pakistani Commandos took action, not french! and only couple of shots were fired and all the captives surrendered.
You must be watching ABC news or CNN at that time who are still publish most bias informtaion.
My Mohammedan friend I afraid you are the victim of your own Islamist propaganda.
I re-read the article (which was a book review) and the author has literally found ORIGINAL sources.
Juhayman al Uteybi was indeed a Wahhabi Arab. He became part of even stricter Wahhabi sect that became associated with him (al-Jama'a al-Salafiyya al-Muhtasiba or JSM). Juhayman became a leader of a splinter group from the JSM called Juhayman's Ikhwan. In all cases Juhayman al Uteybi is not Iranian (Persian) nor were any of his followers.
The reviewer of Trofimov's book is quite clear that original source were used. I corrobarated this with a Google search which pretty much provided the same information. Incidently, ABC and CNN were not in the top 20 of the Google search.
Then I found a source which is a PDF entitled "Rejectionist Islamism in Saudi Arabia: The Story of Juhayman al-'Utaybi." This source outside of the book review pretty much confirms Trofimov's book.
You are correct that the French did not enter the Mosque in Mecca; however they were in the forbidden city itself directing the Commando raid on the Mosque (These Mohammedan soldiers would not enter the Mosque until a fatwa was issued, but that is another story). Indeed, the French provided the technology and the poison gas that flushed al-Uteybi's little super strict Islamic radicals from the Mosque.
Back to the Fatwa for the Mohammedan soldiers/Commandos. The Saudi royal family had to make a deal with the Wahhabis that were as super radical as al-Uteybi. Part of that deal was to finance the spread of Islamism across the globe and a greater share of the oil revenues.
For these Islamist Wahhabis no deal meant no Fatwa. Of course the humiliated Saud family agreed to terms which ended modernization goals the Saud Royal Family had.
MY DEAR Theway2k,
For your kind information the 3 frenchmen were converted to Islam in a brief formal ceremony and all others were Pakistani. Kindly dont pass any comments without any solid proof. Kindly check this history on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_Seizure#Seizure.
My dear Muhammad Mubeen,
I indeed checked out the Wikipedia link.
Upon careful examination the three Frenchmen of the elite GIGN force did a "QUIKIE" conversion of convenience to satisfy the Islamic Supremacist restriction on kafir. I suspect there is some kind Quranic or Hadith that requires violence for insincere conversion to Mohammedanism.
Click HERE for a little more clarity on Frenchmen that probably saved the inferior Mohammedan Saudi force's butts in ending the Siege.
There is a book about this event called "la rose de sable"(a French book) and the story is detailed in full about all who were involved in this story. Not only the French special forces but also Delta force as well as other special forces were involved in it. the names of Al AAS and Yusuf Muntasir(American with Algerian origin) the leader of the group sieged in Mecca, and many other invents to read about, but this book has almost vanished from the earth!! it is worth to read....
Anonymous I personally have only read comments about the book. I wish one day to get my hands on a copy.
Interesting blog.
Pakistanis did go there, it was hushed up in the media, but here, according to my adults, it was all over TV when the bodies of the Pakistanis that died were returned to their families.
However, the accusation that Persians were involved is a weak disguise for the Sunni bias against Shias. Yes, we say Persians to sound fancy because we think the whole world is stupid and doesn't know that Persia is modern-day Iran, which happens to be a Shia country.
The other siege was caused by Shias, but the Saudi government isn't very nice to their Shia residents, so there was agitation because of that as well.
And lastly, Wikipedia is hardly a reliable source, but it is convenient for when you want to be an asshole racist. (meant for the commentor, not the blogger)
Ghausia thank you for your insights.
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