Fifth column: Politicising the pilgrimage

More than two million devotees from all around the world – from Asia to the farthest corners of Africa, Europe to the Americas, Australia and the Gulf States – are performing the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to the Jeddah-based International Islamic News Agency (IINA), the pilgrims include several Western nationals including 25,500 people from the UK, 20,500 from Russia, 17,000 from the US and 10,000 from France. This year, pilgrims from Iran are also attending in strength. This is despite no diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the deadly stampede during the 2015 Hajj that killed about 2,500 pilgrims – including about 500 Iranians – provoking a diplomatic row causing the cessation of the diplomatic relations between the two and exclusion of Iranians from last year’s Hajj. However, this year, there are more than 86,000 Iranian pilgrims attending Hajj, per the reports from IINA. 

In contrast, the pilgrims from the tiny Gulf state of Qatar are an entirely different story. Following the termination of diplomatic ties between several Gulf States led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar in June this year, amid a stringent economic boycott, Hajj also became the casualty of the bitter dispute. Despite being in close proximity to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and sharing a land border, only dozens of Qatari citizens have been able to make it to the pilgrimage this year, according to Qatari sources. Even if the Saudi media’s claims that Saudi Arabia has allowed 1,340 Qataris to enter the country for Hajj are deemed credible, it is a massive reduction from last year’s 12,000 Qataris who performed Hajj. 

The public falling-out between the two countries over Hajj has created a bitter controversy with each accusing the other of politicising the pilgrimage. In late July, Qatar accused Saudi Arabia of politicising Hajj after it claimed Saudi Arabia had imposed restrictions on its citizens who planned to travel the kingdom for Hajj. Qatar also filed a complaint with the UN special rapporteur on freedom of belief and religion over the restrictions, claiming they were in “stark violation of international laws and agreements that guarantee the right to worship”.         

Amid the growing rancour, in a surprise move in mid-August, Saudi Arabia announced it would open its border for Qatari pilgrims and that King Salman would provide flights and accommodation to them during Hajj. However, the move was seen as a political stunt laced with ill will as the ‘goodwill gesture’ was announced soon after a surprise meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a little-known member of Qatar’s royal family, Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, who lives outside of Qatar and belongs to a rival branch of the royal family that was ousted in a coup more than four decades ago. This provoked accusations that the Saudis were attempting to delegitimise the current emir of Qatar and seeking a regime change in Doha. While Qatar publicly welcomed the announcement to facilitate the pilgrimage, it warned Saudi Arabia to “stay away from exploiting [hajj] as a tool for political manipulation”.

The dispute has refused to die even as the pilgrimage is drawing to a close. As recently as this past Tuesday, Qatar denounced the Saudi media for “false” claims that Doha was preventing its citizens from the pilgrimage. Qatar’s Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs accused the Saudi Hajj Ministry of “placing obstacles” against its citizens planning to perform Hajj. Earlier, it had also accused the Saudi Hajj authorities of “halting contacts” to safeguard the entry of Qatari pilgrims. The Saudi minister of Islamic Affairs, Saleh al-Sheikh, tried to dispel the partisan impression and reiterated that the kingdom serves all pilgrims without discrimination or exclusion on the basis of nationality, tribe or sect. However,          the clash has created a negative public perception about the Saudis and added to the anxiety about the growing role of Saudi Arabia in internecine battles between Arabs and Muslim nations.   

The Hajj spat has rekindled the old debate by some Saudi rivals about the international management of the holy sites in Makkah and Medina. While Qatar filed a complaint with the UN accusing Saudis of partisanship and playing politics, they also called for an international management of the holy sites, provoking a furious backlash from the Saudis. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Qatar’s complaint amounted to a “declaration of war”, adding accusations that Qatar was trying to politicise the Hajj. After the stampede in 2015 that killed nearly 2,500 pilgrims, the worst tragedy in the history of Hajj, Iranians also renewed their Khomeini-era demands for placing the holy sites under international guardianship rather than under the Saudi management, a move more motivated to weaken the Saudi control rather than to better regulate the Hajj services.      

On balance, the Saudi authorities have been providing extremely well-managed services for pilgrims, including very efficient management of massive crowds. Since the Al Saud family took over, almost a century ago, the management and the facilities have improved phenomenally and continue to do so as the Saudi authorities invest hundreds of millions annually in improving the assets and operational management of the holy sites. This year, for the first time, the Saudi Ministry of Education has established nurseries for children where pilgrims can leave their children while they perform their rituals. This is quite a commendable service that certainly turns Hajj into a first large-scale child-friendly pilgrimage in the world. In addition, more than 15,000 officers are pressed into service for escorting pilgrims and maintaining their safety while they perform their rituals. Moreover, more than 3,000 “machines and devices” had been pressed into service to effectively respond to any emergencies.

The Saudi management of Hajj is on a par with international standards and any call for a different management would be chaotic and detrimental – both operationally and politically – and, therefore, must be avoided. However, the Saudi authorities would do well by avoiding using Hajj as a tool to reward or punish countries or groups of people that do not fit well with Riyadh’s world view.

Twitter: @murtaza_shibli