Riyadh, Tehran spar over Hajj pilgrimage

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti has said Tehran’s leaders are “not Muslims”, a day after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Saudi authorities of being responsible for the deaths of Muslims during last year’s deadly crush at the Hajj pilgrimage. The rhetoric from the regional rivals – mostly Sunni Saudi Arabia and majority Shia Iran […]

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti has said Tehran’s leaders are “not Muslims”, a day after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Saudi authorities of being responsible for the deaths of Muslims during last year’s deadly crush at the Hajj pilgrimage.
The rhetoric from the regional rivals – mostly Sunni Saudi Arabia and majority Shia Iran – comes as preparations are under way for the start of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, and Islam’s holiest festival Eid al-Adha on Monday.
In comments to the Makkah newspaper published on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al Sheikh was quoted as saying that Khamenei’s remarks blaming Riyadh for last year’s tragedy were “not surprising” because Iranians are descendants of “Majuws”.
“Majuws” refers to Zoroastrians and those who worship fire.