Mowlavi Abdolhamid Wrote a Letter to the King of Saudi Arabia Regarding the Absence of Iranian Pilgrims in Hajj

Simultaneously with the statements made on Tuesday, May 24, by the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the head of the judiciary, who accused Saudi Arabia of 'obstruction' against the dispatch of Iranian pilgrims to Hajj, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan wrote a letter to the King of Saudi Arabia requesting that the conditions for the presence of Iranian pilgrims at the Hajj ceremonies be facilitated. According to the report from the office of the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, Mowlavi Abdolhamid, a prominent Sunni cleric in Iran, stated in his letter to King Salman that 'in the current situation where division, fragmentation, and distrust prevail in the Islamic world,' the absence of Iranian pilgrims at the Hajj ceremonies 'is never in the interest of the Islamic Ummah.' The letter emphasized that 'with the foresight and broad-mindedness of the leaders of the Islamic world, by God's grace, the fire of division and fragmentation will be extinguished, and friendship will replace hostility and enmity.' Mowlavi Abdolhamid also wrote that the people of Iran 'have an ancient civilization and will never cause inconvenience in the movement of the pilgrims to the House of God.' This prominent Sunni cleric requested the King of Saudi Arabia to 'facilitate the presence of Iranian pilgrims at the Hajj of 1395 (2016) in the context of Islamic unity, reducing differences, normalizing bilateral relations, and reopening embassies.' Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, had previously stated that the Islamic Republic had set four conditions for sending Iranian pilgrims to Hajj 1395: 'ensuring the security of Iranian pilgrims,' 'using Iran's air fleet for transporting pilgrims,' 'issuing visas within Iran,' and 'utilizing consular services in Saudi Arabia.' On the other hand, according to Iranian officials, Saudi Arabia also set 'conditions' for accepting Iranian pilgrims and placed conditions regarding Iran's cultural programs at the Hajj, including 'slogans.' On May 12, Saudi Arabia denied Iranian officials' statements about Riyadh preventing Iranians from attending this year's Hajj. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj stated in its announcement that Riyadh 'has not banned all Iranian pilgrims from entering this country. This prohibition stems from the Iranian government, which uses this tactic as one of its multiple tools to exert pressure on the Saudi government.' However, according to IRNA news agency, Sadegh Larijani, head of Iran's judiciary, on Tuesday accused Saudi officials of 'obstruction' and 'hindering' the dispatch of Iranian pilgrims to the Hajj ceremonies. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also stated that with 'the continued obstruction of the Saudi government, fundamental issues related to the security of Iranian pilgrims and their transportation and visa issuance have practically encountered problems.' Following the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, last December, the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were set on fire by a number of protesters against his execution, after which Saudi Arabia severed its relations with Iran. Previously, during the Mina incident that occurred last September in Saudi Arabia, over 460 Iranian pilgrims were killed. The Islamic Republic's policies in the region, including in Syria and Yemen, have been in conflict with the policies of some regional countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, in recent years. While Tehran supports Bashar al-Assad, Saudi Arabia supports groups opposing the Syrian government. In the Yemen war, Iran supports the Shia Houthi militants and supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen. In contrast, Saudi Arabia is currently bombing the positions of the Shia Houthi militants to support the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in Yemen.