Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has called upon the concerned authorities in Qatar to facilitate the arrival of Qatari brothers wishing to perform Hajj and remove the obstacles imposed by the Government of Qatar to prevent them from coming to perform this great ritual.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed in a press statement the keenness of the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud to use all means to facilitate the arrival of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims from the State of Qatar similar to what it does towards all Muslims wishing to perform Hajj and Umrah. It was agreed that more than one million and seven hundred thousand pilgrims would come to perform Hajj this year 1440 H. while nearly 8 million Muslims from all over the world performed Umrah.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah rejected allegations made by the Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs that the government of Saudi Arabia is obstructing those Qataris and expatriates in Qatar who wish to visit the holy sites to perform Hajj and Umrah, and not allowing the Hajj and Umrah campaigns to enter the Kingdom, stressing that this is untrue. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has launched several electronic links to enable Qataris and residents of Qatar to book their places of residence, contract services, and come through non-Qatari airlines to perform their duties. In return the Qatari government blocked these links for Qataris and Muslim citizens residing in Qatar, and to enable them to perform the rituals Saudi Arabia announced that it welcomes the Qataris to come to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and perform Umrah and contract the services they need when they arrive in the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also invited the officials responsiblefor Hajj affairs in Qatar in the year 1440 H., like other officials in Islamiccountries to come to the Kingdom to arrange the arrival of the Qatari pilgrims,and a meeting with them was held on 8/6/1440 H. and the meeting discussed allmatters related to the organization of the arrival of pilgrims and residentsfrom Qatar to perform Hajj, but the Qatari delegation left without signing theHajj agreement, and therefore the Qatari authorities did not give theopportunity to the Qatari Hajj companies to come to agree with the providers ofHajj services in the Kingdom.
At the same time, it stressed the Kingdom's total rejectionof any attempt to politicize the Hajj and its denunciation of involving thepolitical situation between the two countries, which has it politicalcircumstances and causes, in the Hajj and Umrah, stressing that the Ministry ofAwqaf and Islamic Affairs in Qatar should enable Muslims in Qatar to come toperform rituals through all international airlines except Qatar Airways, and notto prevent them, and help them perform Hajj and Umrah without being involved inpolitical matters.
At the end of its statement, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrahaffirmed its continuous welcome of Qatari brothers to come to the Kingdom toperform Hajj and Umrah rituals and their keenness to enable them to performtheir rituals as all pilgrims from all over the world. It calls on thoseresponsible for Hajj and Umrah affairs in the Qatari government to respond tothe facilities offered by the government of the Kingdom for pilgrims to performtheir duties and that the facilities offered by the Kingdom to citizens andresidents in Qatar continue and support their desire to come to the Holy Landto perform Hajj and Umrah in safety, comfort and reassurance.
