The Daily Times, May 15, 2016 – Iranian and Saudi authorities have failed to reach an agreement on the arrangements for Iranian pilgrims to join the annual Hajj in September following the severing of ties earlier this year. An Iranian delegation visited Saudi Arabia to strike a deal in this regard but the talks hit a deadlock, and the Iranian culture minister announced that no Iranian national will be able to perform Hajj this year. Since the deadlock, both sides have traded accusations for sabotaging the deal. The Saudi Hajj ministry has rejected Iranian allegations by saying that the Iranian delegation declined to sign an agreement laying out conditions for this year’s pilgrimage.
The diplomatic mission of Saudi Arabia in Iran was shut down following an attack by Iranian mobs. Angry protestors ransacked the Saudi embassy in Iran. Since the severing of diplomatic ties, all Saudi interests were being looked after by the Swiss embassy. Iran maintained that its citizens should be allowed to apply through the Swiss embassy, but the Saudi officials rejected the request. Moreover, an agreement could not be reached on the contentious issue of the security of Iranian pilgrims. Last year, 2,000 people were killed in a massive stampede, including 464 Iranians. Iran very perturbed by the deaths of its citizens had demanded an apology from the Saudi government for its failure to protect the pilgrims.
Shia-dominated Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads over different issues over the years. After the lifting of international sanctions on Iran after it agreed to comply with nuclear safety standards, Iran is trying to re-establish its footings as a regional power. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is seeking to maintain its regional hegemony in the Middle East. Both sides are at odds over a number of regional issues, notably in Yemen and Syria. Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of supporting Houthi rebels and both sides have been involved in a proxy war in Yemen. Moreover, in Syria Saudi Arabia is pushing for the removal of Bashar al-Assad while Iran is backing the Assad’s government to stay. In the light of the ongoing power struggle to achieve regional hegemony, aspects like the arrangements for the pilgrims are being affected. Both the governments should devise a comprehensive strategy to avoid such circumstances in the future that affect the religious sentiments of their citizens. The pilgrimage of Hajj is the moral and religious right of all Muslims, and no regional or international disturbance or conflict should be used to deprive people of fulfilling their religious obligations. And it is imperative that no earthly reason is used to keep people away from visiting the place that they connect to their divine Creator. Be they Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, or belonging to any other faith.*