In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
The Imam Ali (peace and blessings be upon him) Mosque in al-Wadi al-Kabir, Oman, was subjected to a treacherous armed attack that reportedly led to the martyrdom of at least four and the wounding of an unspecified number of Pakistani believers who were carrying out the mourning rituals of the Master of the Residents of Paradise, Imam Hussain (peace and blessings be upon him).
Sheikh al-Habib condemns in the strongest terms this despicable crime, and prays that God, Glorified and Exalted be He, accepts these honourable martyrs’ sacrifice, and to reward them with the highest positions in paradise alongside all those who were martyred for commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him). He also asks God, Glorified and Exalted be He, to bless the wounded and the injured with a speedy recovery, and to instil patience, solace, and satisfaction with His rewards in the families of the victims.
His Eminence also salutes the believers who bravely faced the bullets while continuing to chant ‘Labaik Ya Hussain,’ as was seen in footage of the surprise attack. This determination and defiance lays bare the incredible spiritual strength and the deeply entrenched faith of these believers who would not be silenced or cowed even in the face of imminent death.
His Eminence calls on the Omani authorities to provide a truthful and detailed explanation of this horrific incident, as their brief statement on the matter makes it appear as if they are attempting to hide something while their supporters portray the attack as ‘an individual act’ not driven by terrorist or sectarian motives, which is highly dubious considering the widespread footage on social media of the attacker shouting insults at the Shi’a mourners and accusing them of being infidels during the attack, although we have not yet verified the authenticity of the footage.
His Eminence says: “The Omani authorities did not reveal the identity of the killer in their statement. Who was he and what were his motives? Is he part of a terrorist organisation? Was he acting alone or did he have accomplices when he carried out this heinous crime that targeted defenceless, innocents who were in one of God’s houses during His holy month of Muharram? Why did the authorities not even mention whether they succeeded in apprehending the killer or not? What steps did they take to punish the perpetrator for his crimes? And have they developed a solid security plan to prevent similar crimes from taking place again in the future?
His Eminence added: “The Omani authorities are required to immediately answer these urgent questions, and to not engage in vagueness and obscurity, as the incident is clearly quite a significant one. Much blood was shed and to treat this incident with such disregard shows the authorities’ incompetence, negligence, and inability to provide security for its citizens, and they will bear the responsibility for this incident as a result.”
DISCLAIMER:
1. At the time of writing, the identity and nationality of the perpetrator was unknown. As of 16 July, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. 3 gunmen, all Omani nationals, were involved in the attack, as per Omani police statement. No motive for the attack was provided; however, the Omani police later acknowledged that the perpetrators were ‘influenced by misguided ideas’ and that they were ‘killed for resisting security personnel.”
Sheikh al-Habib
