Juhayman al-Otaybi
| Juhayman al-Otaybi Arabic: جهيمان بن محمد بن سيف العتيبي |
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Juhayman al-Otaybi in captivity
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| Born |
16 September 1936 Al-Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 9 January 1980 (aged 43) Mecca |
| Residence | Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabia |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 Saudi Arabia(1955–1973) |
| Service/branch |
 National Guard(1955–1973) |
| Years of service | 1955–1973 |
| Rank | Leader of al-Ikhwan |
| Battles/wars | Grand Mosque seizure |
Juhayman ibn Muhammad ibn Sayf al-Otaybi (Arabic: جهيمان بن محمد بن سيف العتيبي 16 September 1936 – 9 January 1980) was a Saudi religious activist and militant who in 1979 led the Grand Mosque seizure of the Masjid al Haram in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, to protest against the Saudi monarchy and the House of Saud.
Juhayman said that his justification for the siege was that the House of Saud had lost its legitimacy through corruption and imitation of the West, an echo of his father's charge in 1921 against former Saudi king Ibn Saud. Unlike earlier anti-monarchist dissidents in the kingdom, Juhayman attacked the wahhabi ulama for failing to protest against policies that (he believed) betrayed Islam, and accused them of accepting the rule of an infidel state and offering loyalty to corrupt rulers in "exchange for honours and riches."
On 20 November 1979, the first day of the Islamic year 1400, the Masjid al-Haram was seized by a well-organized group of 400 to 500 men under al-Otaybi's leadership. A siege lasted more than two weeks before Saudi Special Forces broke into the Mosque. Pakistan's Special Services Group (SSG) also took part in the operation. French Special Forces provided a special tear gas called CB which prevents aggressiveness and slows down breathing. al-Otaybi was executed by the Saudi authorities, in public, on 9 January 1980, in Mecca.
Otaybi was born in al-Sajir, Al-Qassim Province, a settlement established by King Abdulaziz to house Ikhwan bedouin tribesmen who had fought for him. This settlement (known as a hijra) was populated by members of Otaybi's tribe, the 'Utaybah tribe, one of the most pre-eminent tribes of the Najd region. Many of Otaybi's relatives participated in the Battle of Sabilla during the Ikhwan uprising against King Abdulaziz, including his father and grandfather, Sultan bin Bajad Al-Otaibi. Otaybi grew up aware of the battle and of how, in their eyes, the Saudi monarchs had betrayed the original religious principles of the Saudi state. He finished school without fluent writing ability, but he loved to read religious texts.
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Wikipedia