Ayman Al-Hammad
Al-Riyadh
IRAN condemned itself. Contradictory statements made by Iranian officials about the Kingdom indicate the political chaos their country lives in. On the seventh day of Haj, the head of Haj organization in Iran Saed Awhadi complimented and thanked Saudi Arabia for the efforts dedicated to serving the pilgrims.
He made a point of appreciating the Kingdom’s hospitality in welcoming 64,000 Iranian pilgrims. On the other hand, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei made a statement on the day the stampede in Mina happened, killing and injuring hundreds of people, in which he held the country responsible for the incident.
Adel Al-Jubeir, foreign minister, was absolutely right in telling Iranians to be rational especially when Iran’s President Hassan Rohani took advantage of the political scene at the United Nations to stir things up about the Mina incident.
It is unfortunate that Iran’s political bankruptcy hit a new low by abusing its victims who suffered during the stampede to ignite political disputes.
It seems that Iran is unable to comprehend the Arab alliance success happening in Yemen. For so many years, Iran invested time and energy in ensuring that Yemen is unstable and today Iranians can see their efforts failing. Iran is also worried from the changes happening in Syria with the case becoming an international issue not just a regional one.
Iran’s relationship with politicizing Haj goes back to the eighties during the Khamenei revolution. It is a story that everyone can read about on the Internet (or YouTube), which reveals a deep desire for political disruption that Iran leaders had trying to strip Haj of its holy and divine status.
The deceased and injured pilgrims in the Mina stampede come from multiple nationalities. According to unofficial sources, they come from 20 different countries and none of them spoke of the atrocities Iran did.
In fact, everyone else praises the Kingdom’s efforts. We really can’t ignore the testimonies of 20 countries and believe only what Iran says!
