SUMMARY

The religiously based JSM movement was radicalised in the 1970s. On 20 November 1979, the first day of the 15th century according to the Islamic calendar, JSM members occupied the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). Through the loudspeakers they denounced the government but also proclaimed the arrival of Mahdi, a saviour. The authorities responded and out of those JSM members that were not killed in the battle, which lasted for days, 63 were sentenced to death and decapitated.

IN DEPTH

The occupation of the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram)

The independent Saudi Arabia pursued a policy of modernization through the income from natural resources, and following the discovery of oil in 1938, the country developed a close relationship with the USA. During the 1950s and later there was a high level of influx of members from groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. Many of these were intellectuals fleeing persecution and were soon entwined in the Saudi education system and influencing new movements, such as the Sahwa. It was however another group that was to play an important role in the 1979 occupation, JSM (al-Jamaa al-Salafiyya al-Muhtasiba, the Salafi groups which practices hisba - the observance of Islamic practices), which was influenced by the so called rejectionist strain of Islam. The group had no direct leader to start with but instead a consultative group of five to six members. They had a spiritual leader named Ibn Baz and strived to purify the Wahhabi establishment in Saudi Arabia but they were also opposing groups like the Mulsim Brotherhood.

Most of the JSM members were young, probably around their mid-20s and as the group started to grow, their own interpretations of the Quran were altered. They strived to mimic the style of worship of the Prophet Muhammad, as they saw it. These alterations were not taken positively by its senior members and the group split after disagreements over this type of practice. Left in the organisation were most of the younger members and a new leader emerged, Juhayman bin Muhammad bin Sayf al-Utaybi. Juhayman was from the Utaybi clan which had taken part in the uprising in the 1920s but he had spent most of his life in the National Guard before joining JSM.

Shortly after the split of the group, in 1977, former members warned the authorities of the radicalisation of the group. While many members were captured and sentenced to short terms in prison for weapons possession, Juhayman had been warned and took refuge in the desert. It took almost two years before the leader was seen again in public, on the first day of the 15th century according to the Islamic calendar, 20 November 1979 according to the Christian, hundreds of JSM members occupied the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) for days.

The true reasons for the occupation may never be fully known but initial accusations stretching from Yemeni involvement, Shiite attempts to copy the recent overthrow of the Shah in Iran, or claims that Israel and USA were behind some type of plot, were false. Others have argued that they had Marxist allegiances, much based on the poor background of its members and an attempt of an exiled leftist opposition leader in Lebanon to take some credit a few days after the attack. The turmoil in another region of Saudi Arabia in the weeks following the attack on the Grand Mosque was also unrelated to the event.

On the morning of 20 November, as the loudspeakers started to announce the Morning Prayer it continued with the denunciation of the Saudi government, and proclaimed that a new Mahdi, a saviour or messiah, had arrived. The JSM members had captured the Mosque and were proclaiming their message to the pilgrims and those within hearing distance. The proclaimed Mahdi was Juhayman’s friend and JSM member Muhammad al-Qahtani, who was claimed to have come to cleans the Arabian peninsula.

Saudi security forces responded to the occupation with force but were unable to recapture the Mosque. It was not until 3 December, following contact with, and assistance from, France and most likely also USA, that the siege ended. The number of casualties reached the hundreds and many others were left wounded. Among the early casualties was the proclaimed Mahdi and Juhayman had been captured on 2 December. Out of those who survived the siege 63 were sentenced to death. Others were sentenced to long terms in prison. Though the belief of the group has been argued to have lived on after the siege JSM have remained inactive, plausibly annihilated.