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No Hajj for Qataris Amid Saudi Dispute

No Hajj for Qataris Amid Saudi Dispute
No Hajj for Qataris Amid Saudi Dispute

For Muslim pilgrims in Qatar who hoped to perform one of the pillars of Islam, the annual hajj that began this week is out of reach. This is because Saudi Arabia —which oversees and manages Islam’s two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina— has made it impossible for them to go, Al Jazeera reported. The Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, which regulates and organizes the annual event for Qatari citizens and residents, announced it hasn’t received responses from its Saudi counterpart on travel logistics or security guarantees. In June, Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations barred Qatari nationals from their countries and set up a blockade to prevent goods from entering the Persian Gulf emirate. The official Qatar News Agency reported on Tuesday that Qatar’s religious authorities “did not find any cooperation or positive response from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, which has led to confusion and suspension of the regulatory process for Qatar’s pilgrims”. The lack of communication and cooperation from the Saudi side ultimately means there will be no hajj for Qatar’s citizens and residents in 2017.

 

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