Sun, 01 Mar 2009
An Iranian cleric warns of the possibility of banning the minor pilgrimage to Makkah if extremist Wahhabis continue with their vile acts.
“If extremist Wahhabis continue their shameful behaviour, we will have no choice but to ban Umrah [minor pilgrimage],” Fars News Agency quoted Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi as saying on Sunday.
Umrah, also known as the “minor pilgrimage”' or “lesser pilgrimage”, is a highly recommended but non-compulsory pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time of the year.
Saudi security forces and religious police attacked a group of female pilgrims gathering in front of the Baqi Cemetery to mark the anniversary of the Prophet's passing on Monday.
Informed sources said that three pilgrims had been killed and several others wounded in the clashes. The victims were from Qatif and al-Ahsa, two Shi’ah regions in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Denying reports of casualties, Saudi officials confirmed that nine people had been arrested and questioned in this connection.
“The highly-recommended Umrah pilgrimage loses legitimacy once Shi’ah pilgrims are dishonoured,” Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi.
The senior Iranian cleric urged Saudi officials to investigate the case and put an end to the disorderly behaviour of certain Wahhabis.
“Such violent and unwise acts are in violation of the sanctity of the holy cities [of Makkah and Madinah],” explained the senior Iranian cleric, adding that this would inevitably cause pilgrims to fear for their safety and rethink visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the minor hajj.
Wahhabis, who have political power in Saudi Arabia, are extremely intolerant of other interpretations of Islam. Wahhabi clerics prevent women from driving, voting and even visiting graves in the Kingdom.
Based on reports by human rights groups, the Saudi government systematically suppresses the Kingdom's Shi’ah minority that lives in the eastern oil-rich regions of the country as it considers them to be heretics.
Posted by Faisal Tehrani at 8:11 AM
7 months ago
