Rights Groups Urge Riyadh to Not Use Hajj to Crack Down on Dissidents
Several human rights groups and Muslim organisations have joined a campaign condemning Saudi authorities for allegedly using the Hajj pilgrimage as a means of oppression, either by barring certain Muslims from attending or luring others into the country, only to have them arrested and deported to countries where they are at risk.
The Sanad Rights Foundation said in a statement on Thursday that Saudi authorities were using the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages as a means to "repress dissidents" who challenged the country's policies.
"The Saudi government adamantly and repeatedly politicises the Two Holy Mosques of Makkah and Medina, and made Hajj and Umrah a tool of repression, a means of eliminating opponents, and a way of supporting some authoritarian regimes," it said.
In 2019, there were 2.5 million Muslims worldwide who performed Hajj. However, only 1,000 Saudis performed the annual Islamic ritual in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figure increased to 60,000 Saudi pilgrims in 2021.
This year, the kingdom's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that the number of pilgrims had reached one million. All pilgrims must be under 65 years old, fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and show a negative antigen test within 72 hours of reaching Saudi Arabia.
While the pilgrimage has opened up to Muslims around the world, the rights groups are concerned about the protection and security of pilgrims who attend.
Source: Middle East Eye
