Grand Mosque Seizure
Began: 1 Muharram 1400 AH / 1979
On 1 Muharram 1400 (20 November 1979), the holiest place in Islam, Masjid Al Haram (Makkah), was taken over by Islamist dissidents in one of the most spectacular, controversial and heavily-censored events in modern Islamic history.
Details
The Grand Mosque seizure lasted from 20 November 1979 to 4 December 1979, when extremist militants in Saudi Arabia calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud besieged and took over Masjid al-Haram, the holiest Islamic site, in the city of Mecca. The besieging militia who referred to themselves as the 'al-Ikhwan', in reference to the religious militia Ikhwan that played a part in establishing Saudi Arabia, declared that the Mahdi (a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology) had arrived in the form of one of their leaders: Muhammad Abdullah al-Qahtani; the militants called on all Muslims to obey him. In the aftermath of the seizure, the Saudi Arabian Army, supported by France through advisors from the GIGN, fought the Ikhwan for almost two weeks in order to reclaim Masjid al-Haram.
The seizure of the holiest Islamic site, the taking of hostages from among the worshippers, and the ensuing deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces, and hostages caught in the crossfire shocked the Muslim world. Al-Qahtani, the self-proclaimed messiah, was among the 117 militants who were killed by Saudi troops during their recapture of the site. However, leading militant Juhayman al-Otaybi and 68 of his followers survived the assault; they were taken as prisoners and later executed by beheading.
Following the attack, Khalid bin Abdulaziz implemented stricter enforcement of Islamic law throughout Saudi Arabia and also gave the ulama and Muslim conservatives more power over the next decade. Likewise, Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police became more assertive.
The Siege
At Fajr Salat, Sheikh Muhammad Subbail was preparing to lead the prayers, with around 50,000 believers congregated inside Haram. Masjid Al Haram had begun the process of renovation at the time. At around 5:00 am, the Imam was interrupted by insurgents (as many as 500) who procured weapons from under their robes, chained the gates shut and killed two guards. Some of the members of the group took their place at the minarets with snipers, commanding the ground.
An Elite Pakistani Unit called "Rahbar" was rushed to Makkah from Pakistan on the Saudi Governments request. In addition, the French army arrived in Makkah to assist in taking control. The troops abseiled from helicopters onto the courtyard in efforts to end the siege but failed. The Pakistani commandos began to shower water over the Grand Mosque, then released an electric current forcing the insurgents to suspend their activities. As this took place, the army were dropped onto Masjid Al Haram, and many members of the group were caught.
The seizure was led by Juhayman Al-Otaybi who declared that the Mahdi had arrived in the form of his brother-in-law Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani, and called on Muslims to obey him. Otaybi was a preacher, a former corporal in the Saudi National Guard, and a former student of Sheikh Abdel Aziz bin Baaz, who went onto become the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.
Juhaiman had turned against bin Baz and began advocating a return to the original ways of Islam, a repudiation of the West, an end to the education of women, the abolition of television, and the expulsion of non-Muslims.
He proclaimed that the ruling Al Saud dynasty had lost its legitimacy because it was corrupt, and had destroyed Saudi culture by an aggressive policy of Westernization.
The seizure shocked the Islamic world as hundreds of pilgrims present for the annual hajj were taken hostage, and hundreds of militants, security forces, and hostages caught in crossfire were killed in the ensuing battles for control of the site.
The siege ended two weeks after the takeover began with militants and the mosque cleared. Following the attack, the Saudi state implemented stricter enforcement of the Islamic code.
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