‘Yemeni coup militia an anti-Muslim tool’

Manama : The coup militia in Yemen has become an anti-Muslim and anti-Arab tool that seeks to destabilise, terrorise and ignite sectarian hatred among all Muslims, stated Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

The Minister was speaking while attending the emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) council of foreign ministers yesterday in Mecca. It was convened in relation to the firing of ballistic missiles at Mecca by Huthis in Yemen.

Shaikh Khalid said the emergency meeting embodies the unified Islamic stance aimed at ensuring that no person or entity can defile the sanctity of the holy lands.

“We are seeing a major turn in events, and an unacceptable precedent committed by the criminal militias that have no respect for the sanctity of the holiest of Muslim sites. These militias did not take into account the gravity of this matter, which affects over 1.5 billion Muslims. They cannot be trusted and Muslims are not safe from their criminal agendas,” stated the Minister.

“Those who do not respect the sanctity of Mecca will not respect the sanctity of any nation,” he added.

Saudi efforts praised

Shaikh Khalid reiterated that the terrorist act that targeted the Holy House of Allah is a violation of all religious, humane and moral principles and that Allah Almighty has enabled the Royal Saudi Air Force to destroy the missiles before reaching their target.

“Every Muslim must feel great pride in what Saudi Arabia has done in protecting the holy lands with its heroic soldiers in the service of their religion and country. They protect all of pilgrims and visitors and provide them with safety and piece of mind. These efforts cannot be doubted or denied,” he pointed out.

The Minister reaffirmed his support to all steps undertaken by Saudi Arabia to ensure its safety and reiterated that any attempts targeting Saudi security is targeting the security of the entire Islamic world. 

He also indicated that the Arab Coalition will continue its efforts to enable the legitimate government under the leadership of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi to carry on its duties and to reach a peaceful solution.

“We are not against any side working in the best interest of the Yemen, and we will continue to stand firmly with the Yemeni people against anyone wishing to harm or prolong their suffering,” the Minister added.

Key decisions

The emergency meeting issued a resolution backing the recommendations of the Ministerial Executive Committee meeting held on November 5 in Jeddah. 

During the meeting, the member states had demanded a unified stance against the attacks targeting the holy mosque in Mecca. They also called for considering all those supporting the militias as accomplices in the attacks on Islamic holy sites and active participant in efforts to ignite sectarianism. 

The resolution also focused on creating a work team from member states in the executive panel to define clear steps to ensure that such events do not repeat. They also decided to submit a complaint to United Nations to take proper international action to ensure that Mecca and other Islamic holy sights do not get targeted.

The meeting also saw Dr. Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen appointed as new OIC Secretary-General, and committee gave thanks to former OIC Secretary-General Iyad Ameen Madani for his efforts in developing cooperation between Islamic nations.