Yemen’s Scholars Reject Saudi Claim That Mecca Was Targeted
Yemeni scholars on Thursday rejected Saudi Arabia’s claim that Mecca was targeted by Yemen’s armed forces, describing it as “false and baseless,” in a statement.
According to Al Masirah television, the statement said the claim was an allegation made by the Saudi regime, and Yemeni scholars warned that any involvement by countries in the war in Yemen alongside Saudi Arabia could pave the way for rising tensions and exploitation by the enemies of the Islamic world.
The scholars also condemned the use of the Two Holy Mosques in service of political and colonial goals, saying Saudi Arabia’s attempts to discredit the resistance of the Yemeni people would, as in previous cases, fail.
They called on scholars, media outlets and Islamic institutions to be cautious in the face of hasty narratives and, instead of aligning themselves with what they described as the “false propaganda of the Saudi regime,” to work toward ending the blockade and stopping the war against Yemen.
The statement also criticised some countries, scientific institutions and figures for making rushed positions, and called on institutions such as Al-Azhar, the Muslim World League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to distance themselves from provocative calls against the Yemeni people.
In another part of the statement, Yemeni scholars condemned a number of Saudi Arabia’s actions and policies linked to holy sites and the land of the Two Holy Mosques, and claimed that the main threat to Mecca and the Kaaba comes from the presence of foreign military bases and some cooperation with Israel.
At the end of the statement, they voiced support for Yemeni forces and what they described as their military achievements, and called on the Yemeni people to back the battlefronts, war production and general mobilisation programmes.
Yemen has in recent years been the scene of a prolonged war between Yemeni forces and the Saudi-led coalition, a conflict that has been accompanied by not only military fighting but also a broad propaganda and media campaign between the sides.
