RIYADH : A senior Saudi religious leader on Friday warned against those who would “wreak havoc” under the guise of pilgrimage, an apparent swipe at the kingdom’s rival Iran.
The comments by Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah bin Hameed at the Grand Mosque in Makkah coincide with a dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia over this year’s Haj.
“When Muslims travel to this country as pilgrims they represent their unity and forget their differences. They recognise that the holy lands are not fields to address their differences and settle scores,” Hameed said during his weekly sermon. In comments carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, he accused “aggressors” of trying to exploit the pilgrimage to divert attention “from the suffering” in their own country.
“They want to take advantage of the worship season and the gathering of Muslims and the holy sites for political gain, to wreak havoc and cause chaos, and that leads to divisions and sowing discord,” said the imam, whose website lists him as an adviser to the Saudi Royal Court.
On May 12 Iran said its nationals will miss the annual Haj in September this year and accused Saudi Arabia of “sabotage”.
In the first dialogue since ties were severed, a delegation from Tehran held four days of talks in Saudi Arabia last month aimed at reaching a deal for Iranians to join the pilgrimage. But talks became deadlocked.