Report in Middle East Intelligence Digest of April 8, 1998
Despite the fact Saudi authorities prohibit political demonstrations during
the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, pilgrims have heard calls for holy
war against Israel and the United States.
On Tuesday morning, one of the three imams at Mecca's Grand Mosque, Abdel-Rahman
al-Sidess, called for "jihad" to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli control
and "end Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands", AP reports.
"How can Muslims stand idle in front of this bunch of aggressors?" he asked.
"We have to raise the banner of jihad to liberate our holy Jerusalem from
the malicious Zionism, and we hope that day will be soon."
The Grand Mosque, and its stone centrepiece, the Ka'aba, are the focal point
of the annual haj, undertaken this year by 2,3 million Muslims from about
100 countries.
Earlier, thousands of the pilgrims held a rally against the United States
and Israel, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel", Iranian state
media reports.
Iranian television said Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri, Iran's top official
at the haj, attended the "disavowal of infidels" rally. Iran says pilgrims
should hold such a rally every year as an integral part of haj, REUTERS reports
"There was no immediate official Saudi word on the reported rally. The kingdom
prohibits political demonstrations at the haj, saying the pilgrimage should
be strictly religious.
"The staging of the demonstration has in past years led to tension between
Iran and Saudi Arabia. In 1987, 402 people, mostly Iranians, died in clashes
with Saudi security forces at an Iranian-led rally. Iran boycotted the haj
for three years."
(NOTE: CNN'S much-vaunted "unprecedented coverage of the Haj by a Western
media organisation" has skirted clear of anything vaguely controversial.
Riz Khan's commentary and accompanying footage has focused on positive aspects
of the pilgrimage. One has to wonder whether the broadcast deal reached with
the Saudis curtailed CNN's freedom to unfettered coverage) |
