Saudi King: Using Hajj for Sectarian Purposes is Condemnable

King Salman of Saudi Arabia stated on Tuesday, September 13, that the Hajj should not be used for sectarian and political purposes. His remarks seem to refer to the Iranian government, which has deep public disagreements with Saudi Arabia regarding the management of the Hajj. According to Reuters, King Salman, in a speech to ambassadors of Islamic countries at the Mina Palace near Medina, said all Muslims must unite against what he described as the 'spread of extremism.' The Saudi king's comments come amid a continued verbal war between Riyadh and Tehran that began after the tragic Mina incident last year, where several thousand pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians, lost their lives. Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a message published last week, claimed that the Saudi government had 'killed' some of these pilgrims and described Saudi leaders as a 'godless and irreligious' group. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia also referred to the people and leaders of Iran as non-Muslims in response to these comments. King Salman stated that extremism damages Islamic unity and added, 'The Saudi kingdom firmly rejects the political exploitation of the Hajj and turning this important tradition into a scene of sectarian disputes.' He remarked, 'Excess and deficiency (in religion) are condemnable and harm the unity of Muslims, their future, and their image in the world. There is no way to combat this problem other than eradicating it, and we must rely on the unity of Muslims to destroy this contagious disease (plague).' Reuters notes that the conservative Wahhabi view prevailing in Saudi Arabia considers Shiites to be non-Muslims and infidels. However, the Saudi government has welcomed the travel of Shiite pilgrims to Mecca and has accepted Iran into the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and other Middle Eastern crises, including the Yemen conflict. Following the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad last January, Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran. The attack on the embassy was a reaction to the execution of a Shiite cleric critical of the government, Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, in Saudi Arabia. This year, for the first time, tens of thousands of Iranian applicants for Hajj were unable to participate in the pilgrimage. The Saudi government claims that one reason for banning Iranian pilgrims was the insistence of its officials on the right to hold protests during the Hajj. In contrast, the Iranian government has accused Saudi Arabia of 'blocking the path of pilgrims to the House of God.' The Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is the strongest member, has also accused the Iranian government of intending to exploit the Hajj for political purposes and described Ayatollah Khamenei's recent remarks as insulting. This year's Hajj, which will officially conclude on Thursday, has seen 1.8 million pilgrims from various countries participate. Saudi Arabia has announced that Iranian nationals residing in other countries can participate in the Hajj, and recently stated that a number of Iranians who hold citizenship in other countries have gone to Mecca this year.