The 1979 Grand Mosque Siege: Uncovering the Roots of Extremism (Part 1)

In the early hours of  20 November 1979 tens of thousands of worshippers gathered for dawn prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, unaware they would soon become part of a historic tragedy. Moments into the prayer, 300 armed militants stormed the mosque, overpowering guards and taking thousands hostage.

This act of terror, orchestrated by Juhayman Al-Otyabi turned the holiest site in Islam into a battleground. The militants, including followers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States and Canada, proclaimed that their leader's brother-in-law, Mohammed al-Qahtani, was the Mahdi, the prophesied savior in Islam.

The Extremist Agenda

The militants’ demands were radical, centered around a desire to return to what they perceived as the original ways of Islam. They called for the expulsion of non-Muslims from Saudi Arabia and sought to abolish Western influences, including television. These views aligned with their ultimate goal of establishing a theocracy to prepare for what they believed was an imminent apocalypse.

Juhayman, who had once served in the Saudi National Guard and later became a preacher, claimed to have received divine visions confirming Qahtani as the Mahdi. The elaborate preparations for the siege involved smuggling weapons into the mosque over several weeks. These were concealed in coffins under the guise of funeral prayers and in trucks disguised as construction vehicles.

A Crisis for Saudi Arabia

The Saudi government faced a monumental challenge during the siege. Armed intervention in the Grand Mosque was forbidden under Islamic law without a fatwa, which is a religious decree. Obtaining this approval took time, allowing the militants to fortify their positions within the mosque.

The government’s initial assault on the mosque ended disastrously, resulting in high casualties among security forces. The crisis escalated, prompting reinforcements from the Saudi National Guard, the Pakistani army and French counter-terrorism units. 

After two weeks of intense fighting, the siege finally ended on 5 December 1979. Saudi forces stormed the underground chambers of the mosque, using gas and explosives to flush out the militants.

Aftermath and Legacy

The siege left a devastating toll, with over 200 worshippers, militants, and soldiers losing their lives. In the aftermath, Juhayman and 63 of his surviving followers were publicly executed across Saudi Arabia.

This event marked a turning point for the Kingdom, ushering in decades of religious conservatism as the government sought to address extremist elements while maintaining control. Globally, the siege influenced the strategies and narratives of extremist groups for years to come.

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