Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for his part, accused Saudi Arabia of “murdering” Iranian pilgrims, in reference to last year’s Hajj stampede near Mecca in which hundreds of pilgrims – including many Iranians – were killed.
Advertisement
“We must understand they are not Muslims, for they are the descendants of Majuws, and their enmity toward Muslims, especially the Sunnis, is very old”, the Saudi cleric said.
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.
He also addressed the death of 2,300 pilgrims, including 464 Iranians in last year’s haj stampede, accusing Saudi leaders of refusing to allow an worldwide fact-finding committee to look into the matter. Khamenei has also blamed Saudi Arabia for an earlier crane collapse in Mecca that killed 111 people, and said the kingdom’s rulers had “reduced the hajj to a religious-tourist trip” while accusing Iran of “politicizing” the pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has been gearing up for the event, fearing a repeat of last year’s tragedy.
“They are the sons of the Magi”, he said, referring to Zoroastrianism, a religion that once dominated Iran.
Saudi Arabia said it will ensure the safety of all the faithful who will undertake the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which will begin next weekend.
A total of 1.1 lakh pilgrims from Bangladesh are scheduled to perform Hajj this year.
In a message relayed by Iranian state media, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Muslim nations to “fundamentally reconsider the management of the two holy places and the issue of hajj”. “The hesitation and failure to rescue the half-dead and injured people, whose enthusiastic souls and enthralled hearts were accompanying their praying tongues on Eid ul-Adha, is also obvious and incontrovertible”, Khamenei said in a statement on his website to mark the anniversary of the stampede.
In a statement addressed to all Muslims, Khamenei said that instead of apologizing for the stampede or allowing a Muslim global body to investigate what happened, Saudi authorities accused others of wrongdoing.
Lower-ranking Iranian officials have questioned Saudi Arabia’s stewardship of the holy sites before.
He said Saudi leaders have the impression Iran is trying to encircle it by way of its maneuvering in Yemen, Iraq and the Gulf.
Advertisement
Muslim pilgrims and rescuers gather around the victims of a stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia during the annual hajj pilgrimage on September 24, 2015.
