The insurgents declared that the mahdi the redeemer of islam had arrived in the form of one of their leaders, mohammed abdullah alqahtani, and called on muslims to obey him. Trofimov has covered saudi arabia for the wall street journal since 1999 and his ability to explain the greater context of the siege is evident. Nathan thrall, the jerusalem post israel brilliantly researched and eyeopening. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of alqaeda by yaroslav trofimov on november 20, 1979, worldwide attention was focused on. Local demagogues find such tactics expedient, and their appetites are whetted every time we look. That same morning, gunmen stunned the world by seizing the grand mosque in mecca, creating a siege that trapped 100,000 people and lasted two weeks. A short history of saudi arabia the kingdom of saudi arabia covers an area about the third of the size of the usa, and occupies most of the arabian peninsula, most of which is desert. The siege of mecca 40 years ago katehon think tank. Saudi forces the tools, tactics, and training needed to overcome juhaymans men. Hundreds were killed as saudi security forces fought to. With thousands of terrified worshippers trapped inside, the result was a bloody siege that lasted two. On november 20, 1979, worldwide attention was focused on tehran, where the iranian hostage crisis was entering its third week. The siege of mecca the forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of al qaeda.
The siege of mecca with the pacing, detail, and suspense of a reallife thriller, the siege of mecca reveals the longlasting aftereffects of the uprising and its. The siege of mecca npr coverage of the siege of mecca. In the siege of mecca, acclaimed journalist yaroslav trofimov pulls back the curtain on a thrilling, pivotal, and overlooked episode of modern history, examining its repercussions on the middle east and the world on november 20, 1979, worldwide attention was focused on tehran, where the iranian hostage crisis was entering its third week. The siege of mecca an effort to overthrow the saudi royal. These men came from more than a dozen countries, launching the first operation of global jihad in modern times. The islamic fundamentalists that it had so often relied on presented a threat to its dynastic rule. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the siege of mecca. That same morning, gunmen stunned the world by seizing the grand mosque in mecca. The siege of mecca is an excellent account of the terrorist uprising at mecca, which presents valuable lessons for both american law enforcement and the greater homeland security community.
How the 1979 siege of mecca haunts the house of saud. Release dates 3 also known as aka 2 release dates germany 21 august 2018 52 minute version tv france 21 august 2018 52 minute version french, german tv germany 27 august 2018 75 minute version, german tv. Therefore, in 622, muhammad and his followers embarked on the hijrah journey from mecca to medina, after the prophet secured a pledge of protection from the representatives of. The narrative is 90% accurate depiction of the siege of the grand mosque in mecca in 1979 through a completely unknown, intolerant and violent strain of wahhabi sunni sect. It was very little reported at the time, but eli melki of bbc arabic has spent 5 years looking into the story behind the siege for his documentary, death in mecca. In 1979 islamic militants seized control of the grand mosque in mecca, the holiest site in islam. The history of altabari is an english translation of the history of the prophets and kings tarikh alrusul wa almuluk, popularly known as tarikh altabari. Yaroslav trofimov, a reporter with the wall street journal, talks about the 1979 siege of the grand mosque at mecca in saudi arabia. The 1979 uprising at islams holiest shrine reprint by trofimov, yaroslav isbn.
The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of alqaeda. The personal narrative details the ongoing impact of the iranian revolution in 197879, along with siege of mecca in 1979. Bbc world service witness history, the siege of mecca. Its population is about 27 million, of which 5 million are foreigners technicians, merchants, diplomats and soldiers.
Then juhayman handed the microphone to an aide better versed in classical arabic speech. It is an historical and religious chronicle written by the muslim historian ibn jarir altabari 838923. Thus, this event, alongside the formation of alqaeda from the. Allison 1 introduction the siege of the grand mosque at mecca by juhayman alutaybi is one of the most significant events in the history of islamist dissident movements. Siege of mecca yaroslav trofimov ebok 9780141919805 bokus. The grand mosque in mecca is a massive, 7acre compound that can accommodate some 1 million worshippers at any one time, especially during the annual hajj, the pilgrimage to mecca centered on circling the sacred kaaba in the heart of the grand mosque. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. They believed that the saudi royal family had become a craven servant of american infidels, and sought a return to the. Only a very small portion of the entire city was held hostage by the radicals, in fact the sorrounding hotels and other establishment adjacent to the masjid was still occupied while the rest of the city was running business as usual. With nearly 100,000 worshipers trapped inside the holy compound, meccas bloody siege lasted two weeks, inflaming muslim rage against the united states with repercussions we still feel today. With turki alfaisal, madawi alrasheed, tim barger, paul barril. The siege of mecca by yaroslav trofimov largely forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine article pdf available in grma news september 2008 with 2,624 reads how we measure reads. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of alqaeda hardcover september 18, 2007.
The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of al qaeda. Trofimov has been a foreign correspondent for the wall street journal since 1999. The city of mecca served as a sanctuary for abd allah ibn alzubayr, who was among the most prominent challengers to the dynastic succession to the caliphate by the umayyad yazid i. What follows here is a brief overview of a book rich in scholarship and detail, and easy to read. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of al qaeda is a 2007 book by wall street journal correspondent yaroslav trofimov about the 1979 grand mosque seizure in mecca hundreds of islamic radicals led by saudi preacher juhayman alotaybi invaded the masjid alharam in mecca, islams holiest shrine, on nov. The overdrive read format of this ebook has professional. In the siege of mecca, acclaimed journalist yaroslav trofimov pulls back the curtain on a thrilling, pivotal, and overlooked episode of modern history, examining. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of al qaeda, a riveting retelling of the events of november, 1979, when a group of. It is the holiest site in islam, and gunmen held it for two weeks.
Both timely and urgently needed, the crucifix on mecca s front porch invites readers to reflect on the stark differences between christianity and islam and to appreciate the uniqueness of the christian faith. This meant that muhammad could now be attacked without retribution and he was no longer safe in mecca. Written with the pacing, detail, and suspense of a reallife thriller, the siege of mecca reveals how saudi reaction to the uprising in mecca set free the forces that produced the attacks of 911, and the harrowing circumstances that surround us today. The grand mosque seizure occurred during november and december 1979 when armed civilians calling for the overthrow of the house of saud took over masjid alharam in mecca, saudi arabia. It was high time to explain the purpose of this daring venture. Growing up in punjab and london in the 1960s, ziauddin sardar turned to the kabah not only when he prayed. Apocalyptic motivations behind the formation and development of the. The siege of mecca an effort to overthrow the saudi royal family december 1979. Written with the pacing, detail, and suspense of a reallife thriller, the siege of mecca reveals how saudi reaction to the uprising in mecca set free the forces that produced the attacks of 911 and the harrowing circumstances that surround us today. The siege of mecca in septembernovember 683 was one of the early battles of the second islamic civil war. The siege of malta, the battle of lepanto, and the contest for the center of the world. Mecca, medina, and jeddah are now in our hands, the rebels declared through the shrines publicaddress system, so powerful that their words could be heard throughout central mecca. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of al qaeda is a 2007 book by wall street journal correspondent yaroslav trofimov about the 1979 grand mosque seizure in mecca. That same morning, gunmen stunned the world by seizing.
From then on, trofimov notes, the saudi government strove to expunge the siege from public memory and to channel the energies of its more hostile. The gooseneck grip of the religious leaders around the saudi alsaud family tightened after this siege converting saudi to the repressive regime it is known as today. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of al qaeda by yaroslav trofimov. It was this year, notes the author, that iran and saudi arabia, once close allies, become rivals, each facing differing amounts of religious intolerance and fanaticism. The forgotten uprising in islams holiest shrine and the birth of alqaeda trofimov, yaroslav on. Though the boook titled itself as the siege of mecca but i think the most accurate title would be the siege of masjid al haram. On november 20, 1979, the first morning of a new muslim century, hundreds of gunmen stunned the world by seizing islams holiest shrine, the grand mosque in mecca. In the siege of mecca, acclaimed journalist yaroslav trofimov pulls back the curtain on a thrilling, pivotal, and overlooked episode of modern history, examining its repercussions on the middle east and the world. The siege of mecca was a fascinating, portentous event, and trofimov succeeds in. The insurgents aired their demands from the mosques loudspeakers throughout the streets of mecca, calling for the cutoff of oil exports to the united states and the expulsion of all foreign civilian and military experts from the arabian peninsula. Mecca is the shrine of islam, with the kabah, a cube of black stone, at its centre.