US preacher urges Yemen to demolish Makkah Clock Tower

The posts came amid heightened tensions involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, who have carried out attacks against Saudi targets and other sites in the region.

US-based Islamic preacher Daniel Haqiqatjou has sparked criticism after sharing an image of Makkah’s Abraj Al Bait Clock Tower with a message calling for its demolition.

Haqiqatjou, founder and editor of Muslim Skeptic, shared the image on X alongside the words, “Yemen, we have just one request. Demolish it.” The post was later deleted, but screenshots continued to circulate online.

The Abraj Al Bait complex, which includes the Makkah Clock Tower, stands next to the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city.

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The post drew criticism online, with users objecting to a call to demolish a landmark located within the Haram area. One user, posting under the account Students of Shaykh Uthman, said the complex is a waqf for the Two Holy Mosques and argued that criticising its architecture was different from calling for the destruction of a waqf benefiting the Haramain.

The user wrote that “calling to demolish a waqf benefiting the Haramain crosses a line”, referring to the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah.

Haqiqatjou, who describes himself online as a writer and lecturer on Islam and modernity, has used social media extensively to comment on Islam, the Middle East and regional conflicts.

He later continued posting about Yemen and Saudi Arabia. In one post, he wrote, “Yemen rising”, while in another he said, “Thank you Yemen for sending the bedouins running. Finish the job.”

He also commented on the conflict involving Saudi-backed forces, writing that Syrian nationalists should prioritise going to Yemen to fight the Houthis while Israel takes Damascus.

The posts came amid heightened tensions involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, who have carried out attacks against Saudi targets and other sites in the region. The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Yemeni political and armed movement that controls large parts of northern Yemen.

The group has claimed responsibility for some attacks, saying they targeted military or strategic sites. Iran provides substantial support to the Houthis, although the group remains a distinct Yemeni movement.