Former Lebanese MP: Muslim Countries Should Manage Hajj Pilgrimage
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A former Lebanese lawmaker censured Saudi Arabia for its incompetence and failure to guarantee the security of Hajj pilgrims, saying that the responsibility to manage the Hajj rites should be given to Muslim countries.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Jamal Al-Taqash expressed deep sorrow over a recent deadly crush in Mina, in which hundreds of Hajj pilgrims lost their lives in Mina, Saudi Arabia, saying that Riyadh should be held accountable for the tragedy.
“Undoubtedly, the incident has occurred due to Saudis’ failure to fulfill their duties…,” he noted.
The Saudi regime is the main culprit in such incidents, the Lebanese figure said.
Taqash further said the holy sites in Saudi Arabia belong to all Muslims and, therefore, the responsibility to manage the Hajj rites should be given to all Islamic nations.
According to Iranian officials, about 4,700 pilgrims were killed in the crush in Mina on September 24 when performing religious rites. With the death toll rising, many pilgrims are still unaccounted for in the incident that marked the worst Hajj disaster in 25 years.
So far, at least 239 Iranian pilgrims have been pronounced dead in the disaster. This is while some 240 Iranians have gone missing.
The incident came nearly two weeks after tens of Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Mecca.
On September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people, including 11 Iranians, and injuring 201 others.
