THE most difficult relationship in the Muslim world — between Saudi Arabia and Iran — is heating up once again, this time just days before Haj. In fact, the annual pilgrimage is at the centre of the storm. As reported the other day, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued a scathing statement critical of Saudi Arabia’s handling of Haj. In reply, the Saudi grand mufti declared Iranians to be out of the fold of Islam and the Iranian leadership “enemies of Islam”. There is, of course, plenty of background behind this inflammatory rhetoric. Iran’s concerns arise from last year’s massive stampede in Mina; Tehran lost the most pilgrims in the tragedy — nearly 500 individuals — while independent observers estimate the total number of victims at 2,000. The Saudis, however, claimed that, in all, 769 pilgrims were killed. In the aftermath of the Mina tragedy, Iran and Saudi Arabia were unable to reach an agreement regarding Haj management, which meant that Iranian pilgrims would be unable to visit the holy sites this year. Also, following the storming of Saudi missions in Iran after the controversial execution of Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr in January, the kingdom snapped diplomatic links with the Islamic republic. This made it additionally difficult for Iranians to get Haj visas. Aside from these ugly exchanges, Iran and Saudi Arabia are currently locked in proxy combat in places such as Syria and Yemen for geopolitical supremacy in the Middle East.
Haj is a time of unity; it is a great equaliser where the distinctions of class, clan and national allegiance are supposed to melt away. But in a troubled, divided world, politics has seemingly taken the upper hand over spiritual pursuits. Both Tehran and Riyadh should work to bring down the temperature. While the Iranians have genuine concerns about the safety of pilgrims, the issue should not be used for political point-scoring. The Saudis must also refrain from turning a political spat into a sectarian one; the grand mufti’s apparent endorsement of takfir is totally unacceptable, especially coming from such a senior cleric. Haj should be open to all nationalities, regardless of the state of bilateral relations between any country and Saudi Arabia, as all Muslims have equal claim to the holy places within the kingdom. Moreover, clerics in positions of power and influence should work to bring together different Muslim schools of thought, instead of stoking the flames of sectarianism. www.dawn.com/news/1282773/saudi-iran-haj-spat
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