Al-Azhar Claims Iran Politicizing Mina Tragedy
He said Saudi Arabia the incident was not Riyadh’s fault, adding that the so-called “Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines” (the Saudi king) has done his best to best organize the Hajj pilgrimage.
“All accusations leveled against Saudi Arabia are baseless and false,” Shouman added.
He said Al-Azhar is standing by Riyadh and called on Muslims not to make hasty conclusions about the Mina disaster.
The Saudi government on Tuesday confirmed the death toll in the tragedy has reached 4,173.
At least 239 Iranian pilgrims are among those killed in the incident.
The pilgrims were killed in the Thursday crush in Mina, near the holy city of Makkah, when performing religious rites.
With the death toll rising, many pilgrims are still unaccounted for in the incident that marked the worst Hajj disaster in 25 years.
The incident came nearly two weeks after tens of Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Makkah.
On September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Makkah’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people, including 11 Iranians, and injuring 201 others.
Hajj, the world’s largest annual gathering of people, has already witnessed numerous deadly crushes, fires and riots in the past.
Saudi authorities have come under fire for their inability to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who converge on Makkah every year.
http://iqna.ir/fa/News/3374425
