Leader deplores destruction of Islamic sites in Hijaz

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, October 3, granted audience to a group of Hajj officials to review the holding of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage and issues relating to Iranian Hajj pilgrims.

He said: God Almighty has decreed the congregation of Muslims at a certain fixed time of the year and specified the location to conduct the Hajj pilgrimage that carries key political aspects and messages such as “the need for ties and synergy among Muslims” and “the display of the might of the Islamic Ummah.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: “Besides the spiritual aspect of the Hajj, which is very important, these Islamic truths and goals must also be accentuated and plans be made for them and implemented.”  

He listed these goals as: contact with all members of the Islamic Ummah in Hajj, delivery of the message of the Islamic Revolution to pilgrims to remove any doubts, paving the ground for enhancement of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ties with other Muslim countries, and brotherly coexistence among all schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

Ayatollah Khamenei said: These are among the necessary and political messages of the pilgrimage for the world of Islam during the Hajj period.

He stressed: Hajj must bring dignity to the Islamic Republic; therefore, the political aspects of the annual pilgrimage must not be forgotten and the Abrahamic Hajj (as performed by Iranians after victory of the Islamic Revolution), should be promoted in contrast to a ritual of which the observers do not have any proper grasp of the principles of Islam.

He pointed to the Saudi regime’s bid to obstruct recitation of the famous Kumayl Supplication, adding, “These obstacles and ills must be overcome through effort and innovation.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution strongly criticized the widespread destruction of the heritage of Islam, such as those relating to Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), as well as those historical sites related to the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), and the Prophet’s companions, under pretext of expansion of the Sacred Mosque of Mecca or the Prophet’s Shrine in Medina.

He said, while various countries carefully protect their historical site and sometimes even counterfeit some antiquities to make their history and past look rich, many Islamic artifacts have been destroyed in Mecca and Medina so far.  

Ayatollah Khamenei tasked Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization and relevant apparatuses with making efforts and initiatives and contacts with Hajj officials in other Muslim countries to prevent the destruction of Islamic sites in the Land of Revelation. 

He also urged Hajj officials to deploy modern tools such as cyberspace to contact the pilgrims of other countries during the Hajj period and more synergy and cooperation with each other than ever and extended his gratitude over the endeavors of Hajj officials this year.  

Prior to the remarks of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ali Qazi-Askar, the representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the head of the Iranian Hajj mission and Hamid Mohammadi, the head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, presented a report on the measures taken and activities conducted in the executive and cultural departments of Hajj.

AS/ME