Saudi Arabia warns pilgrims against disrupting, politicizing hajj

The Saudi General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars welcomed pilgrims, who have begun arriving in the Kingdom to perform Hajj this year. Earlier, the Saudi cabinet renewed its call to all pilgrims not to politicize this Hajj season or raise any political or doctrinal slogans and devote their time to perform their rituals. […]

The Saudi General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars welcomed pilgrims, who have begun arriving in the Kingdom to perform Hajj this year.

Earlier, the Saudi cabinet renewed its call to all pilgrims not to politicize this Hajj season or raise any political or doctrinal slogans and devote their time to perform their rituals.

The Council has shown the importance of preserving the religious objectives of Hajj, maximizing the pilgrimage ritual and exploiting it to perform acts of obedience and worship to God Almighty and not break the ritual by raising any political or doctrinal slogans.

A statement issued on Wednesday stressed the importance of staying away from all what disturbs the Hajj and its tranquility.

He stressed that it is not permissible in Islamic law to convert Hajj into political platforms where “ideas, parties, and sects clash,” drifting from the objectives of Hajj.

The Saudi government has earlier warned against raising any political or sectarian slogans, saying it will not accept such behavior and that it will “take all necessary measures to prevent it.

It added that it will apply the provisions of the regulations and instructions on all those who carry out those prohibited acts.

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Al Sheikh pointed to the Saudi government’s call.

He stressed that this call came in line with Hajj’s rituals as stipulated by the Quran, pointing out that the Islamic Sharia urges tranquility and prohibits raising political and sectarian slogans and provoking political and sectarian differences far from the noble Islamic values.