Yemen’s Shura Council Denounces Trump’s ‘Despicable’ Remarks on Mecca

In an official statement, the council expressed its “strong condemnation” of the remarks, describing them as an “embodiment of the deep-seated hatred harbored by these forces toward religious symbols and sanctities.”

The statement expressed “strong disapproval” of the official Arab and Islamic silence regarding repeated offenses by Western countries against Islamic symbols and sanctities. It affirmed that this “failure and abdication of responsibility” by regimes and governments is what “encourages the enemies of the nation to persist in targeting its holy sites without fear of deterrence or accountability.”

The council emphasized that “the holy city of Mecca, Medina, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque are unifying doctrinal constants and red lines—defending them is a sacred religious and moral duty falling upon the nation, both peoples and governments.”

The council issued an urgent call to the Association of Senates, Shura Councils, and similar councils in Africa and the Arab world to convene an emergency and extraordinary session to firmly stand against this “heinous offense” and to adopt unified and responsible parliamentary and legislative positions that would compel governments to take action to protect Islamic holy sites.

The Shura Council called upon the Yemeni people to take to the streets on Tuesday in million-strong anger marches “in response to the call of Leader of the Revolution Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi.

It called upon Arab and Islamic peoples, scholars, and religious institutions to break free from the state of silence and to stage broad and dignified angry demonstrations and marches, to affirm the nation’s unity in confronting tyranny and arrogance.

It also called for comprehensive political and economic boycotts that would restore the nation’s dignity and put an end to this “malicious series” targeting Islamic symbols and sanctities.

The statement came amid reactions to remarks made by US President Donald Trump in a recent social media post targeting former President Barack Obama’s presidential center project, where he described it as becoming a “Mecca for those who hate America” — a phrase that drew criticism and objections over invoking the name of Islam’s holiest city in a political context.

The comments sparked wider debate in parts of the Arab and Islamic world, where references to Mecca carry exceptional religious and symbolic significance as the spiritual center of Islam and the destination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage for millions of Muslims.

Critics viewed the language as crossing political boundaries into rhetoric touching on religious sanctities, prompting renewed calls for public condemnation and expressions of solidarity in defense of Islamic holy sites.