Juhayman Al-Otaybi was a religious extremist and former National Guard sergeant from Saudi Arabia who commanded the siege of Mecca's Grand Mosque in 1979, one of Islam's holiest sites. He and his followers occupied the mosque for two weeks, during which time they declared a new imam, Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, to be the Mahdi, or "rightly guided one," and rejected the ruling Saudi monarchy's authority. The siege concluded after a two-week fight between Islamists and Saudi security forces that killed and injured hundreds of people.The true story of Juhayman Al-Otaybi and the siege of Mecca's Grand Mosque is an important event in modern Saudi history. It was the country's first major terrorist incident, and it highlighted the region's growing extremism and religious radicalism. The siege prompted a crackdown on radicalism in the country and highlighted the significance of the Grand Mosque and the holy city of Mecca's security.
In Saudi Arabia, a television series called "Black Crows" was just released, based on the account of Juhayman Al-Otaybi and the siege of the Grand Mosque. The Saudi government produced the series in order to provide a historical account of the events and to raise awareness of the risks of extremism. The series was widely watched and got favorable reviews, as well as accolades at foreign film festivals.
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