Yemen slams Saudi Arabia for politicizing Hajj pilgrimage

Yemen’s top cleric and minister of endowments have condemned the restrictions imposed by the Saudi regime on the Yemeni pilgrims.

According to the Arabic-language al-Masirah television network, Yemen’s Minister of Endowments Najib al-Aji said Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah refused to respond to Yemeni correspondence regarding coordinating efforts to facilitate the pilgrimage or conducting flights to carry Yemeni pilgrims planning to carry out the religious duty this year.

He added that the National Salvation Government denounces the restrictions imposed by the Saudi regime on the Yemeni pilgrims.

According to Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Endowments Fuad Naji, the Saudi restrictions includes refusing to recognize passports issued in the capital Sana’a, closing Sana’a International Airport and opening only one crossing to Yemenis.

Yemen’s Mufti Sham al-Din Sharaf al-Din said politicizing Hajj is used by the Saudi regime against its opponents in Yemen, Palestine, Iraq and Libya.

The top cleric slammed Riyadh for normalizing ties with the Israeli regime and arresting scholars, saying such a regime has no mandate to control the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Mecca, referring to the Saudi incompetence in the management of Hajj.

SS