Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, an imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, faced poignant questions about Saudi Arabia’s policies and involvement in the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen as he was making an appearance in a mosque in Geneva, according to the Middle East Eye news website.
"Sheikh, I have a question. How can America and Saudi Arabia lead the nations of the world towards peace and stand over people in peace? How can you lecture us about peace while you boycott and starve your brothers in Yemen and Qatar?" the man inquired.
He also went on to blast Riyadh for its alleged approval of “the 1992 coup in Algeria, the Egyptian coup and the Turkish coup, and accused al-Sudais of giving “Islamic rulings legalizing the killing of our brothers in Yemen.”
The imam had apparently decided not to address these accusations and attempted to leave the mosque while other members of the congregation had gathered around the man who had asked the questions.
According to the Middle East Eye, during his visit to New York in September, al-Sudais declared that the US and Saudi Arabia were “steering the world to peace.”
A video of this incident quickly went viral, with many social media users voicing their agreement with the questions addressed to the imam.