In response, the Saudi Grand Mufti said Khamenei’s comments were “not surprising”, as the Iranians are the descendants of the Zoroastrians, a religious group that had assimilated elements of Islam and Christianity before being conquered by the Arabs.
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Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia were already at rock bottom before the regional rivals started trading caustic remarks this week.
“If they are telling the truth and are not at fault in this incident, they should let an Islamic worldwide fact-finding committee closely examine and clarify the truth of the issue”, Khamenei said, according to a transcript of his comments published on his website.
Khamenei, the ultimate arbiter in Shiite Iran, called on fellow Muslims to re-evaluate Saudi rulers’ management of the faith’s holy sites.
In this photo released by official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a weekly cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. They back opposing sides in Syria’s civil war and a list of other conflicts across the Middle East.
In a statement Khamenei accused the Saudi leaders of blasphemy and treason and used an insulting term (taghut) that refers to those who severely transgress Islamic tenets, usually translated “idolators”.
The official IRNA news agency quotes Rouhani Wednesday as saying the pilgrims lost their lives because of the “lack of qualification” of Saudi authorities.
Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran’s hajj and pilgrimage organization, accused Saudi Arabia of being “domineering” during those negotiations and creating obstacles.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif responded to Al Sheikh’s remarks with a tweet, linking Saudi Wahabism to the fundamentalist terrorism of the moment: “Indeed; no resemblance between Islam of Iranians & most Muslims & bigoted extremism that Wahhabi top cleric & Saudi terror masters preach”.
He said: “The Iranian authorities are the ones who don’t want the Iranian pilgrims to come here for reasons concerning the Iranians themselves”.
On Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei questioned Saudi Arabia’s ability to manage and maintain the Holy Places of Islam.
AFTER Iranians were unable to make it to Saudi Arabia for annual pilgrimage due to disagreement on several issues between the two countries, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei has issued a harsh statement against the Kingdom and its leadership.
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More than 3 million pilgrims from around the world including the neighboring Gulf states arrive in Saudi Arabia every year to perform Haj – the annual ritual to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim, his dignified wife Hager and their noble son Prophet Ismael. News stories displayed here appear in our category for worldwide and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization.
