KOZHIKODE: Leaders of the Salafi movement have urged Muslims to pray for Saudi Arabia, which is facing continued attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Participating in an online discussion organised by the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, a Salafi group based in Keralam, general secretary T K Ashraf said all Muslims in the state should extend their support to the Saudi government, which is protecting Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam.
Ashraf bemoaned that no one in Keralam has expressed shock at the attacks on Saudi Arabia. “There seems to be a concerted attempt to prove that Saudi Arabia is the real problem. The country is a holy place and there should be peace and safety to enable believers to perform their rites there,” he said.
“We are disturbed by the narrative pushed by followers of political Islam that Saudi Arabia is the agent of Israel and America. The attempt to demonise the country is part of a pro-Iran agenda implemented through some Muslim organisations in the state. The Houthis cannot be supported just because they raise slogans in favour of Palestine and mount some attacks on Israel,” Ashraf said.
“The Houthis first emerged as a religious organisation, and the political element was added later. They are aligned with the Shias in Iran. It is not a secret that Iran supplies most weapons to the Houthis,” a young Salafi scholar told TNIE.
He questioned the argument that what is happening in West Asia should be viewed as a geopolitical issue and not a religious one.
“The religious content is unmistakable though there are political issues. Houthis, who fire missiles at holy places, cannot be condoned merely because they oppose America,” he said.
Leaders of the Sunni movement believe that certain political Islamist groups in Keralam are consciously building a narrative against the Saudi government, cleverly using their media outlets.
They allege this narrative conceals the ultimate Iranian agenda of weakening the Saudi government and finally capturing the mosques in Mecca and Medina. Anyone who questions the Houthi-Iran agenda is immediately branded as Israeli agent by the supporters of political Islam, they added.