Putin Quotes from Quran in Appeal for Peace in Yemen (+Video)
Speaking in Ankara on Monday alongside Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, Putin quoted from Surah Al Imran of the Holy Quran.
“And remember the favor of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers,” the Russian president quoted verse 103 of the Surah, RT reported.
Putin also referenced another Quranic teaching, about how using might is only legitimate in self-defense, to semi-jokingly suggest that Saudi Arabia should buy Russian air defense systems, as Iran and Turkey have already done.
The verse he quoted from the Quran was verse 190 of Surah al-Baqarah: “Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but do not aggress. Allah does not love the aggressors.”
The Saudi-led coalition’s aggression on Yemen began in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the country's Riyadh-allied former regime and crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
The Western-backed military aggression, coupled with a naval blockade, has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis, destroyed the country’s infrastructure and led to a massive humanitarian crisis.
The three presidents were meeting in Turkey for talks on peace in Syria.
