The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) held a press conference to discuss their stance on the alleged attempted missile attack on the city of Makkah. The council deemed it a violation of the sanctity of the holy land, which was initiated by the Houthi rebel group in Sa’ada, Yemen.

The conference kicked off with the welcoming of the media and an introduction delivered by the president of the MJC, Shaykh Irfaan Abrahams, in which he described the incident of the attack as the “most serious crisis” that he had to deal with since his inauguration as president in April this year.

Thereafter, the deputy president of the MJC, Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie delivered the opening statement, ultimately condemning the alleged attack on the precinct of the holy land.

According to the statement released by the MJC, the Saudi Brigadier General, Ahmed Assiri affirmed that the missile was intercepted about 65km from the city of Makkah.

Head of the International Relations Desk of the MJC, Shaykh Ihsaan Hendricks, who answered questions posed by the media, says that if the missile was intercepted two minutes later, the aftermath could have been disastrous.

“The missile was intercepted at a precise and acute time. The people of Barzah (a village in Makkah, which was the expected target) were continuing their day as per normal,” Hendricks stated.

When asked about the verification of the incident, he said that the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) was the first organisation to condemn the attack, after the necessary verification of information process has been followed.

In the statement released by the MJC, ‘MJC Condemns Houthi Scud Attack on Makkah’, it reads:

“The MJC expresses solidarity with the Ummah during this tragic and shocking time where we witness no respect shown by extremists groups for the Holy precincts of Makkah. The MJC equally condemned the horrific suicide bombing which similarly violated the sanctity of the Holy Haram of Madina during the month of Ramadhan (2016), where the blessed body of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lies buried.”

Moreover, there’s been great support coming from non-Middle Eastern countries, where according to Saudi Based media house, Arab News,  German ambassador Dieter W. Haller expressed the embassy’s condemnation of the alleged attempted attack.

“We condemn this kind of attacks in the strongest possible terms,” Haller asserted.

Correspondingly, the Norwegian Ambassador, Rolf Willy Hansen said that an attack of this nature would generally be condemned by all peace-loving people and call for peaceful engagement on the issue.

Furthermore, Hendricks concern that many people conclude that the MJC is blindly supporting the Saudi regime, but added that the MJC is not hesitant of being critical of Saudi Arabia.

“However, this is not about Saudi Arabia as a country, nor is it about Yemen as a country. It is about an attack on a sacred site, the red line of the ummah,” Hendricks said.

When he was questioned about this specific incident being amplified by the MJC in comparison to other crises faced in the Islamic world, he unpacked the assistance of the body in multiple crises faced by Muslims in various parts of the world.

“We recall the plight of the Muslims in Bosnia. Check the records of the involvement of the MJC, when not too long ago under the leadership of Shaykh Irfaan Abrahams, when he was not even the president, leading a convoy to assist the people in Somalia.”

“Have you forgotten about the time when the Muslim community in Mozambique had the plight? We assisted the community in Mozambique. We have travelled to Rwanda, myself and Shaykh Ahmed Sedick, at the time of the massacre of the people in Rwanda, so yes, sometimes we are compelled to place the historical records on the table,” he continued.

Former President of the MJC, Shaykh Ebrahim Gabriels concluded the conference with a closing dua.

VOC (Ra-ees Moerat)