Muslims are obliged to make a hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at some point in their lifetime, a fact which is sometimes very complicated, as Saudi Arabia isn’t always on good terms with the nations those Muslims are coming from. This has led to some suggestions of internationalizing the holy sites.
It’s not clear how serious this proposal is or who made it, but Saudi Arabia is outraged, insisting that not only is it a “declaration of war,” but that it’s a declaration of war made by Qatar, who they’re in the process of blockading already.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abulrahman al-Thani was puzzled by this fury coming out of Saudi Arabia, noting that the Qatari government had never made any such call in the first place, and was sick of the Saudis getting mad at them for false information.
Qatari officials did complain to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion yesterday, complaining the Saudi blockade was an obstacle to Qataris who wanted to make the hajj this year, but it does not appear that they made any calls for anything other than for help ensuring the Saudis let Muslims visit Mecca.
Qatar is not the only nation raising objection to the Sauds’ control of the holy cities. Nor are Muslims, as a whole, enamoured of Saudi high handedness and frequent incompetence when it comes to the Haj.
The Saudis are clearly wrong to use religion as a political tool, but at the same time, maybe muslims generally should reconsider the apparent spiritual benefits of pilgrimage to a city the Saudis have basically turned into a Las Vegas in the Hijaz.
This is pretty consistent of the Saudis… someone saying something the Saudis don’t like should be met with extreme violence, they say. Directing that violence at the correct someone is a low priority.