Three leading international NGOs have urged Saudi Arabia not to use Haj for political gains in the light of the several restrictions placed on pilgrims from Qatar and spreading fake news.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor urged the European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion outside the Union Jan Figel to call on Saudi Arabia to withdraw the conditions it imposed for the arrival of pilgrims from Qatar to its territory to perform Haj this year.
The Geneva-based Monitor, in a letter sent to Figel, called for an immediate intervention to end the crisis and to exert pressure for not using Haj as a tool for political gain, and not to impose conditions on pilgrims.
In the wake of the political crisis with Qatar, the Saudi authorities imposed new restrictions on Qatari pilgrims like starting their journey from Doha and travelling by Saudi Airlines only, the Monitor noted, stressing that the Saudi conditions are contrary to the principles of the European Union, and the mission of the envoy which aims to ensure the freedom of worship.
It called on the European Union Envoy to intervene to ensure that religious rituals are not used to achieve political goals, by removing all restrictions imposed on the Qatari pilgrims by the Saudi authorities.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stressed the importance of the envoy’s intervention and his contacts with the parties concerned in order to end the discriminatory treatment of the pilgrims of Qatar, and to ensure that Haj is excluded from political disputes.
The “Canadian Citizen” movement has condemned the positions of the siege countries in violation of the laws of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which stipulates that freedom of movement and the airspace connecting the countries of the region should be respected.
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In the same context, the movement’s Co-ordinator of Human Rights Yasser Dhuwaib underlined in a statement that politicisation of Haj and imposing restrictions on Qatar’s pilgrims are serious violations of religious rights.
A report from London adds: The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in UK (AOHR) denied that it submitted a complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religions and the High Commissioner for Human Rights against Qatar concerning this year’s pilgrimage, as published by Euronews and several Arab media.
The organisation denounced the news published on its behalf accusing Qatar of violating the right of its citizens by preventing them from practising religious rites. The organisation said that it has not received any complaint from Qatari pilgrims.
AOHR stressed that the content of the published news was misleading, false, and irrelevant, and that it was deliberately fabricated without any proof, and considered the websites and newspapers which published the news as unprofessional.
On the other hand, the organisation noted that through its lawyers, it has submitted a complaint to the United Nations concerning the obstruction caused by Saudi authorities for Haj pilgrimage and its politicisation.
