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Top Saudi cleric warns against politicising haj

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's top cleric has warned against politicising the haj amid a war of words between Riyadh and Tehran over the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh told the Saudi-controlled regional daily that making false claims about the hajj only confuses pilgrims and is sinful.

"Those who want to use the pilgrimage and spread falsehoods and propaganda for their personal goals and needs, doing this to take advantage of the occasion, are doing something forbidden by Islam," he told the newspaper.

Earlier this month, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei alleged that Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Wahabi country, might abuse the mainly Shia pilgrims from Iran during the haj, which begins in mid-November. On Monday, Ahmadinejad warned that Tehran would “take the appropriate measures” if Iranian pilgrims are restricted, while Khamenei raised the issue of alleged “insults and mistreatment against some Shias,” saying, “The Saudi government must take action against such acts.”

After those remarks, Saudi Haj Minister Fuad al-Farsi said Iran “should not take advantage of the pilgrimage for political purposes and its own agenda”. afp

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