The Qatari authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of jeopardising the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca of Qatari pilgrims by refusing to guarantee their safety.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have been boycotting Qatar since June 5, accusing it of backing extremist groups and of ties to Shia Iran, in the region’s worst diplomatic crisis in years.

On July 20, Riyadh said that Qataris wanting to perform this year’s haj would be allowed to enter the kingdom for the pilgrimage, but imposed certain restrictions. The Saudi Hajj Ministry said Qatari pilgrims arriving by plane must use airlines in agreement with Riyadh.

They would also need to get visas on arrival in Jeddah or Medina, their sole points of entry in the kingdom. The Qatari Islamic Affairs Ministry, in a statement published by the official QNA news agency on Sunday, said the Saudi side had “refused to communicate regarding securing the pilgrims safety and facilitating their Haj”.

Politics and religion

The Ministry accused Riyadh of “intertwining politics with one of the pillars of Islam, which may result in depriving many Muslims from performing this holy obligation”. According to the statement, 20,000 Qatari citizens have registered to take part this year. The Ministry said it denied Saudi claims that Doha had suspended those registrations.

“The distortion of facts is meant to set obstacles for the pilgrims from Qatar to Mecca, following the crisis created by the siege countries,” the Qatari Ministry added. Some Gulf media claimed the Qatari statement was a call for the “internationalisation” of the management of the haj season.