Source: Arab News:
JEDDAH: Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said Iran is hostile toward Muslims and does not want to see the Haj season pass peacefully or without sectarian strife.
During an inspection tour of a mosque on the Makkah-Jeddah Expressway, he said the duty of Muslim scholars is to support the Kingdom and ensure the safety of the pilgrimage, adding that Haj and Umrah must only be performed for Allah, and not for slogans or political gains.
He said the ministry, by virtue of its relation with Islamic scholars, stands by the Saudi leadership.
“All Saudi people are united behind their leadership’s efforts to ensure the safety of pilgrims,” he said.
The ministry is proud of and appreciates the efforts of preachers and scholars inside and outside the Kingdom, he said, and works to protect the safety of all the pilgrims, including from Iran, he said.
Al-Asheikh said the Kingdom has always sought to ensure that the pilgrimage is free of hate-filled sloganeering, and believes that all Muslims are equal when performing the pilgrimage.
He said the Kingdom rejects enemies’ efforts to foment trouble, to spoil and politicize the pilgrimage and to incite hostility among Muslims.
Categories: Asia, Saudi Arabia