London, Sept 8, IRNA - Director of the London-based Abrar Islamic Foundation (Abrar House) Saeed Shahabi said that Muslim community should step in to safeguard Hajj pilgrims as the Saudis do not qualify for managing the great Islamic ritual.


Shahabi made the remarks in a recent exclusive interview with IRNA.

The full text of the interview follows:
Q. What is your opinion about Saudi Arabia managing the Hajj congregation.
It is clear now from successive incidents over the past thirty years that there is a great need for reorganization of the whole Hajj pilgrimage.
When your country cannot receive this congregation without major incidents and loss of life, it means that you need to update your management programs.
It is clear that the Saudis have not been able to guarantee the safety of the pilgrims and this not now. Some three years ago several hundreds were killed by fires that swept through the tents of Mena and also people who were killed in a tunnel in 1992.
So it is becoming clear that hajj is becoming more of a burden on people and they feel unsafe when they want to perform their duty.
Of course this is an addition to the rising cost of the hajj and it is mainly due to the Saudi mismanagement and corruption in the Al-Saud household.
So for Hajj season to be useful for Muslims, it must be reorganized and put under the management of an Islamic management team.
Those holy places does not belong to the Saudi they belong to all Muslims and humanity.
So there are few issues: First is the pilgrim security, Second is the cost of pilgrimage, Third is the lack of security to the holy places.
The holy places has been systematically demolished.
All the structure and architecture has been obliterated by the Saudis.
I think there is a need for an immediate action by the Muslim community in order safeguard the safety of the pilgrims.

Q. Saudi Arabia said it will investigate last year’s tragedy, What is your opinion on the outcome?
A. I have not seen any result from the investigation. Besides, you cannot ask the Saudis to investigate what their soldiers and troops did. We need to have an independent inquiry, otherwise you cannot achieve the truth.
For an investigation to carry out, it must involve other major Muslim countries like Turkey, Iran, Egypt that have sizable Muslim majority and have lost the most in the tragedy. The Saudis are not known for investigation. Look at what is happening in Yemen. When the world wanted to investigate the war crimes in yemen, the Saudis protested and said we will do the investigation. Then the UN came back last week and said that it not acceptable to have an investigation from those whom we want to investigate. The same thing applies to the tragedy last year.
They are the people who are accused of mismanagement. You cannot ask them to investigate themselves.
So the rules and regulations of that inquiry do not contribute to truth and reality.

Q. What is the way forward to overcome the problem with Saudis?
A. First of all there must be public awareness on the nature of Hajj and what they should expect.
Secondly, the scholars of the Muslim World, stay away from influence and decide how to manage Hajj in a way that guarantees the safety of pilgrims.
Thirdly, the international community should be made aware of what is happening.
We want to see at some stage, anyone who may have had hand in the death of pilgrims, either through negligence or belligerence to be brought to justice to prove that the souls and spirits of Muslims are valuable and not cheap as the Saudis are making it.
If Hajj is to become useful annual spiritual congregation it must not be commercialized as it is the case now where the Saudi princesses are imposing increased taxes.
This is resulting in a way that ordinary Muslims cannot perform Hajj.

Q. What is your thought on the statements of (Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution) Ayatollah (Seyyed Ali) Khamenei?
A. These are the words of someone who is concerned about Muslims. He is not motivated by political consideration or commercial factors.
It is clear to me that his heart is burning that how could this huge international congregation be turned into a small dysfunctional process that leads to death imposition and teaching of certain school.
What Ayatollah Khamenei said is similar to what Ayatollah Khomeini said 40 years ago.
No progress has been made in the way that Hajj has been managed.
I think what he has proposed is an important guideline that must be adopted by those whose heart are with the people and Islam rather than those killers who are imposing their own will on the ordinary pilgrims who come far from very poor places yet they do not get value for money.

By IRNA