OIC Should Take over Hajj, Cleric Urges Following Mina Tragedy
Addressing Friday prayers worshippers at Tehran University today, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani referred to the deaths of hundreds of Hajj pilgrims in Thursday’s stampede in Mina, near Makkah, criticizing the Saudis’ mismanagement and incompetence.
He urged Muslim countries to refer the case to international courts and see to it that the responsibility of running Hajj is given to the OIC.
Muslim states should care about their Hajj pilgrims and propose a plan to that effect to the OIC, he stated.
Ayatollah Emami Kashani added that the Saudi government is preoccupied with helping ISIL and other terrorists and killing innocent Yemenis and has no time to properly manage the Hajj rituals.
On Thursday, a stampede occurred in Mina, near Makkah, at 9 am local time after two large masses of pilgrims fused together.
Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said the tragic incident claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people, including 131 Iranians. Saudi officials, however, put the death toll at 717.
