The unfortunate spat between Saudi Arabia and Iran over whether the Kingdom should submit to demands that special conditions apply to Iranian pilgrims for the upcoming Haj is nothing more than posturing and an escalation of Iran’s attempt to further a Cold War between the two countries.
The issue is not Saudi Arabia refusing Iranians an opportunity to perform Haj. And it’s not an example that one country out of dozens is being treated unfairly in its attempts to ensure its people can fulfill their religious obligation. The issue is whether to allow one country to politicize Haj to suit its own purposes. This should be an affront to every devout Muslim and a bald-faced move to create instability inside Saudi borders.
Iran has been meddling in the affairs of Gulf states and the Levant for decades. We have witnessed time and again Iran’s attempts to gain a foothold inside the Kingdom’s Eastern Province to create chaos. The ongoing war in Yemen and the simmering unrest in Bahrain is further proof that Iran hopes to create sectarian unrest in Saudi Arabia.
That’s not enough evidence? Try this: When Saudi Haj officials met with an Iranian delegation last month, the delegation wanted Iranian flags flying at buildings housing Iranian pilgrims. This was ostensibly to provide Iranian pilgrims with a means to identify their compatriots during the rituals that include more than two million pilgrims. But at the same time the delegation also wanted its pilgrims to have the right to hold “public ceremonies” by observing Shiite customs and traditions. Saudi negotiators believe that permitting such ceremonies could lead to protests and could also affect the overall management of the annual pilgrimage and cause inconvenience to other pilgrims.
If the Saudi Haj negotiators are reluctant to cave in to the Iranians’ demands it is because the Iranians have a history of staging protests during the Haj rituals. The most damning incident occurred in 1987 when Iranian pilgrims staged a demonstration during Haj that ultimately led to the deaths of more than 400 pilgrims when the Saudi security forces attempted to quell the protests.
Just last year on Sept. 24, 474 Iranians were among hundreds of other pilgrims killed during a stampede while performing the rituals. In this incident, Iranian pilgrims reportedly failed to heed security officers’ instructions about exiting walkways and had gone in the opposite direction of the pedestrian flow on the way to Jamarat Bridge, which caused panic among the faithful. There remains considerable confusion about what had exactly happened. And there is confusion over whether Iranian or Egyptian pilgrims created the bottleneck on the walkway, but the fact that Iranian deaths outnumber most countries four to one (Mali reported 312 deaths) indicate that whatever occurred Iranian pilgrims were at the center of the tragic event.
This alone is enough to put Iran on “probation” and consideration of special conditions for its pilgrims seem ludicrous.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has agreed to issue electronic visas to Iranian pilgrims through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran and have Swiss diplomats supervise the Iranians on their pilgrimage to Makkah. Saudis also agreed to allow both Saudi Arabian Airlines and the Iranian national carrier share the responsibility to transport pilgrims to the holy cities. For the time being, however, Iran has decided not to send its citizens to Haj.
Saudi Arabia does not deny Muslims the right to perform Haj, although it has conditions and quotas to manage the crowd. But it also can’t bow to special demands that at the end of the day have little to do with the spiritual obligations that all Muslims must perform if physically and financially able. Instead creating a spiritual unity among Muslims, the Iranian delegation appears to want to create a sectarian divide.
Anyone who is even only mildly interested in the turmoil engulfing our region due largely to sectarian violence will recognize that demands for national flags and the right to hold “public ceremonies” that could lead to protests can only end in disaster.
The issue is not Saudi Arabia refusing Iranians an opportunity to perform Haj. And it’s not an example that one country out of dozens is being treated unfairly in its attempts to ensure its people can fulfill their religious obligation. The issue is whether to allow one country to politicize Haj to suit its own purposes. This should be an affront to every devout Muslim and a bald-faced move to create instability inside Saudi borders.
Iran has been meddling in the affairs of Gulf states and the Levant for decades. We have witnessed time and again Iran’s attempts to gain a foothold inside the Kingdom’s Eastern Province to create chaos. The ongoing war in Yemen and the simmering unrest in Bahrain is further proof that Iran hopes to create sectarian unrest in Saudi Arabia.
That’s not enough evidence? Try this: When Saudi Haj officials met with an Iranian delegation last month, the delegation wanted Iranian flags flying at buildings housing Iranian pilgrims. This was ostensibly to provide Iranian pilgrims with a means to identify their compatriots during the rituals that include more than two million pilgrims. But at the same time the delegation also wanted its pilgrims to have the right to hold “public ceremonies” by observing Shiite customs and traditions. Saudi negotiators believe that permitting such ceremonies could lead to protests and could also affect the overall management of the annual pilgrimage and cause inconvenience to other pilgrims.
If the Saudi Haj negotiators are reluctant to cave in to the Iranians’ demands it is because the Iranians have a history of staging protests during the Haj rituals. The most damning incident occurred in 1987 when Iranian pilgrims staged a demonstration during Haj that ultimately led to the deaths of more than 400 pilgrims when the Saudi security forces attempted to quell the protests.
Just last year on Sept. 24, 474 Iranians were among hundreds of other pilgrims killed during a stampede while performing the rituals. In this incident, Iranian pilgrims reportedly failed to heed security officers’ instructions about exiting walkways and had gone in the opposite direction of the pedestrian flow on the way to Jamarat Bridge, which caused panic among the faithful. There remains considerable confusion about what had exactly happened. And there is confusion over whether Iranian or Egyptian pilgrims created the bottleneck on the walkway, but the fact that Iranian deaths outnumber most countries four to one (Mali reported 312 deaths) indicate that whatever occurred Iranian pilgrims were at the center of the tragic event.
This alone is enough to put Iran on “probation” and consideration of special conditions for its pilgrims seem ludicrous.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has agreed to issue electronic visas to Iranian pilgrims through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran and have Swiss diplomats supervise the Iranians on their pilgrimage to Makkah. Saudis also agreed to allow both Saudi Arabian Airlines and the Iranian national carrier share the responsibility to transport pilgrims to the holy cities. For the time being, however, Iran has decided not to send its citizens to Haj.
Saudi Arabia does not deny Muslims the right to perform Haj, although it has conditions and quotas to manage the crowd. But it also can’t bow to special demands that at the end of the day have little to do with the spiritual obligations that all Muslims must perform if physically and financially able. Instead creating a spiritual unity among Muslims, the Iranian delegation appears to want to create a sectarian divide.
Anyone who is even only mildly interested in the turmoil engulfing our region due largely to sectarian violence will recognize that demands for national flags and the right to hold “public ceremonies” that could lead to protests can only end in disaster.
