Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia is a ‘sinister act’ says, Jamaat chief

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, the leader of the opposition in parliament, has condemned an attack by Yemen’s Houthi group on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Returning to Bangladesh on Sunday after performing Umrah, Shafiqur told waiting journalists at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport that the attack was “unacceptable” and “sinister”.

Shafiqur had travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah after completing a two-day visit to Turkey.

“We arrived there yesterday morning and around 10:30pm we began our journey to Bangladesh from Madinah airport. During that time, a devastating attack took place at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh,” he said.

“Saudi Arabia has blamed the Houthis for the attack. Saudi Arabia is the land of the Two Holy Mosques, home to the Kaaba, the House of Allah, as well as the mosque and Rawdah (shrine) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Holy Quran was also revealed in different places in Saudi Arabia.”

“Whoever carries out an attack on such a country, we believe it is not a good act. It is a sinister act.”

The Jamaat chief added: “We condemn such attacks. War is not a solution. We believe that whatever the problems may be, they should be resolved through dialogue. As far as we know, 12 people have been killed in this attack so far.”

Shafiqur travelled to Turkey on Oct 7 to attend a conference at Istanbul University. He arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning to perform Umrah.

After landing at the airport on Sunday, Shafiqur briefed reporters on his visit to Turkey. He said discussions there covered a range of issues, including education exchange programmes, skill development programmes, expansion of the defence industry and the Makkah Pact.

According to Shafiqur, he attended several high-level meetings with Turkish government officials, while a number of meetings were also held at the private-sector level.

Explaining the purpose of the trip, the Jamaat chief said: “The objective of this visit was to present Bangladesh to the international community.”