In response to the Grand Mufti of Oman.. Yemen's Ministry of Awqaf lists 3 points and recalls the declaration of 'targeting' Mecca

The Ministry of Awqaf in the internationally recognized Yemeni government responded on Saturday to the Grand Mufti of Oman, Ahmed Al-Khalili, regarding his recent statements, which they considered to be in favor of the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen, stating that what he said "provides a moral cover for rebellious militias that have turned against the legitimate state with Iranian support and funding." This was stated in a statement from the Yemeni Awqaf, which read: "We have followed with great regret and condemnation the statements issued by the office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili, the Grand Mufti of the sisterly Sultanate of Oman, on the 30th of Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH, and what it contained of descriptions that contradict the reality of the tragedy experienced by our Yemeni people, and provide a moral cover for rebellious militias that have turned against the legitimate state with Iranian support and funding, crushing the country's capabilities and exposing its interests to bombing, destruction, and devastation."

It continued: "In light of this, we would like to confirm the following facts": "The Mufti's disregard for the fundamental cause of the conflict, which is the armed coup of the Houthi terrorist militia against state institutions since 2004, culminating in the occupation of the capital, Sana'a, in 2014, and the rebellion against the ruler is an inaccurate diagnosis; the Yemeni people are engaged in a defensive battle to restore their state and identity against a rebellious faction that has completely subordinated itself to external agendas by turning Yemeni lands into advanced platforms for settling Iranian accounts in the region." The statement added: "The Yemenis, with all their official and popular components, stand with the brotherly Palestinian people and their legitimate struggle for decades, and do not need anyone's testimony in this regard. However, the Mufti's bestowing of heroic attributes on a terrorist group while ignoring its grave crimes against our Yemeni people, such as the bombing of Quran houses and mosques, displacing millions, and causing the deaths and injuries of more than five hundred thousand citizens, both martyrs and wounded, in addition to looting the country's resources and creating the largest famine and humanitarian tragedy...

is a distortion of public opinion and a transgression of established facts." It added: "Issuing religious positions regarding the blood of Yemenis requires communication with Yemeni scholars and recognized religious bodies to understand the dimensions of the issue, as it is not appropriate to portray these militias as protectors of sacred sites at a time when the houses of God and Quran houses have not been spared from them, nor has the holy city of Mecca."

The Yemeni ministry concluded its statement by saying: "We call on the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman to reconsider this position, and to look with a discerning legal eye at the conditions of the Yemeni people, and what they are suffering from the oppression of this Iranian-backed terrorist group, and to side with truth and justice and to protect the blood of Yemenis, instead of providing a legal cover for those who tamper with the security of Yemen and the region in service of the Iranian project." The Mufti of Oman had commented on the renewed outbreak of war in Yemen, highlighting that it is one of the recent tribulations "alongside the tribulations in Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon," as he put it.

This came in a statement published by the Mufti of Oman on his page on the X platform (formerly Twitter) on Friday, in which he said: "The nation is being tested in these days with great tribulations; alongside what it has been tested with in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran, here it is being tested in Yemen, as brothers fight and kill each other; I wonder how the Yemeni wisdom has failed to stem the bloodshed and unite the ranks?! May the Yemenis return to their senses, reconcile among themselves, and rebuild happy Yemen as one man; and may no one enter among them to corrupt the affection and inherit enmity and hatred: whether out of malice or ignorance and negligence."

He continued: "In such matters that I lament regarding the brothers in Yemen; I have regretted some statements made by some Muslim scholars, who speak about a group that has confronted the Zionist entity since its inception with determination and resolve, and has struggled with life and money for the liberation of Islamic sanctities and to free them from occupation and to rescue the afflicted Palestinian people; what should have been said was not said, and the nation should not occupy itself at this difficult time with side issues instead of confronting this dangerous occupation." He added: "Therefore, I urge the esteemed scholars to focus at this time only on their primary issue, which is the liberation of the occupied Islamic sanctities, and to use their customary wisdom to address this problem before it widens and becomes difficult to treat; for the matter has reached a level of danger that leaves the patient with no choice but to feel even more regret."

The Mufti of Oman concluded his statement by saying: "This is what I advise you, ﴿And I do not intend to contradict you in that which I have forbidden you. I only intend reform as much as I am able, and my success is not but through Allah. Upon Him I have relied, and to Him I return﴾ Hud 88."