Paris, Saudi camel and the Zionist monkey!

December, 2015 Amid all the hype, tough talk and name calling following the Paris attacks, two names are conspicuous by their absence: Wahhabi Arabia and Zionist Israel. The role these two entities play is worth a closer look. We begin this column with an apology to our readers. We are taking liberties with metaphors, but so what? The common metaphor is the “elephant in the room” but when referring to the Saudis — better known as Najdi Bedouins — we feel the camel is a more suitable beast. After all, the last time an elephant was in the Arabian Peninsula was when Abrahah’s army came to attack Makkah planning to destroy the Ka‘bah. Abrahah had come from Yemen where he was governor of the Abyssinian king. Where Abrahah got the elephant from is unknown but it is certainly not a beast of the desert; the camel is, hence our reference to it.

Let us move to the Paris attacks that claimed more than 130 lives. The French government as well as other Western governments have made scandalous allegations against innocent Muslims but two names are conspicuously absent from the list of culprits: Saudi Arabia and Zionist Israel. Why? If serious about tackling a problem, one must go to its source. The takfiri terrorists are the product of the mindset nurtured by Wahhabism that has its roots in Saudi Arabia. Yet few if any officials in Europe or elsewhere have mentioned this. Such lapses raise questions about whether these regimes are serious in tackling the problem. One can see why this might be the case. Saudi Arabia is used as a cash cow by all these regimes — in France, Britain, the US, etc. — by selling it billions of dollars worth of weapons. As long as the arms industries continue to rake in billions from Saudi Arabia, its criminal activities can be overlooked. In fact, such terrorist activities help spur growth in arms sales by creating fear and instability in many parts of the world.

There is another factor at work that has been largely ignored. Most Muslims in Europe lead a marginalized existence. Racism is rampant. This is as true in France and Belgium as it is in Britain. Muslims, even those born and raised there live in ghettoes. Not only racist groups target them, even the police forces are extremely hostile to Muslims, akin to the treatment of African Americans in the US. Thus, the Muslims’ sense of alienation is deep and profound. This not only breeds resentment but also makes them easy prey to extremist ideologies offering simplistic but ultimately destructive solutions. The French attackers appear to have come from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, an extremely depressed area of the Belgian capital. The police describe it as a “no go” area.

Why have these ghettoes emerged and who is responsible for the situation not only in Belgium but also in France, Britain and a host of other European countries? Surely Muslims cannot be blamed for their plight. This is the direct result of the policies pursued by politicians. Further, there is a deliberate policy to paint expatriate Muslims as “the other.” Whose interest does it serve? In these countries as well as in others, Zionist influence is quite pervasive. Not only in the media but also at the official level, they exercise enormous influence in shaping government policy. It has been a longstanding policy of the Zionists to present Muslims as “the enemy” because they oppose Zionist aggression in and occupation of Palestine. While the Zionists cannot outnumber the Muslims in these countries, they target them through demonization. It is revealing that the Zionists have linked up with extremist rightwing groups in Europe. Such extremist groups also hate the Jews but for the Zionists that is fine. They also hate those Jews who stand up for truth and justice. Thus, Muslims are under attack from two sides: the extremist rightwing terrorists and Zionist thugs. Unfortunately most European governments support such policies because they serve their broader agenda of wars in the Muslim world. Unless there is a change in policy, Muslims especially in Europe will continue to pay the price. In turn, there will be other terrorist attacks feeding the anti-Muslim frenzy.

Bani Saud and Bani Isra’il: colonial creations

by Zafar Bangash November, 2015 The similarities in origin and policies of the two clans—Bani Saud and Bani Isra’il—are so close that it is difficult to tell them apart. Both are staunch enemies of Islam and Muslims. he British colonialists have inflicted immense damage on the world of Islam. Nothing, however, compares in destructiveness to the imposition of the two illegitimate entities on the holiest places of Islam: the Najdi Bedouins (aka Bani Saud or the House of Saud) in the Arabian Peninsula, especially the Hijaz, and the Zionists in Palestine. One does not have to look far to see the scale of damage inflicted by the two viruses. If the Zionists have vandalized al-Masjid al-Aqsa and al-Haram al-Sharif in al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Najdi Bedouins have demolished historical sites in Makkah and Madinah. They have caused other damage as well: creating fitnah in the Muslim world by spreading the toxic ideas of Wahhabism and imposing them by force in the Arabian Peninsula. Spending $100 billion since 1975, they have propagated these poisonous ideas to other parts of the Muslim world as well. The result has been catastrophic: the poison of sectarianism has seeped so deep into Muslim psyche that it has resulted in mass killings and blowing up of masjids.

These crimes are compounded by the gross incompetence and callousness of Bani Saud in mismanaging the affairs of Hajj. There have been repeated disasters over the years, none more lethal than the twin tragedies that struck this year. First, a massive crane collapsed in al-Masjid al-Haram killing 115 people. This was followed by the stampede at Mina that killed thousands of others. The Najdi Bedouins refuse to provide an accurate figure of deaths beyond what they announced on September 26 — 769 killed and 934 injured. Figures compiled from data provided by other countries whose citizens have died add up to 1,633 dead and hundreds, perhaps thousands still missing and unaccounted for. Hundreds have been buried without their families’ permission or even proper identification so that their loved ones would know where their final resting place is. The Najdi Bedouins simply do not care; that is why they refuse to update their figures. They blame the pilgrims for the deaths or claim it was an “act of God” refusing to accept any responsibility. Muslims, including many governments, allow Bani Saud to get away with such crimes because of a basic misunderstanding. The Haramayn — the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah — are the most sacred sites in Islam (the third is al-Masjid al-Aqsa). Many Muslims naively assume that the sacredness of the two holy cities somehow extends to the rulers as well. It is such flawed thinking that has prevented Muslims from addressing the problem of Bani Saud seriously.

The Haramayn are the common heritage of the Ummah. They cannot be left in the hands of people that have no regard for human life or the sacred places of Islam. Further, most members of the Najdi Bedouin clan are moral degenerates. It is an insult to Islam to have such people in control of Islam’s holiest places. Their occupation of the Haramayn is on par with the Zionist occupation of al-Masjid al-Aqsa. Both are British creations whose specific aim was to undermine Islam. A brief look at history would clarify this. The idea of creating the Zionist entity in Palestine preceded that of Bani Saud’s “elevation” as British puppets in the Arabian Peninsula. In November 1917, then British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour, responding to Lord Rothschild’s letter, said that the British government viewed with favor the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine provided it did not adversely affect the rights of the indigenous Arab population. Like most European politicians of his time Balfour was an anti-Semite. His promise to Rothschild was meant merely to transfer the “Jewish problem” from Europe to Palestine while securing their financial help in the war.

Bani Saud, from the backwaters of Najd, were latecomers to the game of British intrigue. The British were already thinking of planting a trusted “Mussalman agent” in Makkah and Madinah. The Consul General in Jeddah, James Ernest Napoleon Zohrab, had suggested in a message to the British Foreign Office in 1902 precisely such a step. The aim was to know what went on there. Sharif Husain, vali (governor) of the Ottoman Turks, administered the Hijaz at the time, but his loyalty had already been purchased by the British. The Ottoman paper, The Hijaz, had duly noted the “devilish plans” the British had for the area (Safar 25, 1333ah/1914ce). Both Sharif Husain and ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Saud, head of Bani Saud, vied for British favor. The Najdi Bedouins proved more ruthless; they were brigands and thieves while Sharif Husain led a sedentary life in Makkah and had gone soft. His forces were no match for the murderous thugs of Ibn Saud. Since their occupation of the Haramayn in 1925–1926, Bani Saud have indulged in horrific crimes and perpetrated many sacrilegious acts. Under their control, Hajj has become a series of disasters. This year’s deaths in Mina have surpassed all previous horrors. Bani Saud are simply not capable of managing the affairs of Hajj nor are they fit to be in control of the Haramayn. Like Bani Isra’il, they must be dislodged from the holiest sites of Islam.

Palestine, Syria, Yemen and the Bani Saud

by Zafar Bangash November, 2015 The Bani Saud have launched their crusades in Syria and Yemen because they want to impose governments that would be subservient to them. In Palestine, they have abandoned the Palestinians to the non-existent mercies of the Zionists.

The Zionists’ intensified attacks against innocent Palestinians at a time when Bani Saud are doing the same in Syria and Yemen should not surprise us. Palestinians have endured Zionist occupation for nearly 70 years. Their land has been stolen, their homes demolished, and millions have been turned into refugees scattered around the world. They continue to suffer the daily humiliation of occupation. People under occupation would naturally struggle to throw off their occupiers. In Syria, Bani Saud have spread their poisonous propaganda of takfirism (declaring other Muslims as kafirs) resulting in the killing of more than 200,000 people. The takfiris have also indulged in such pre-Islamic practices as organ-eating and cannibalism. The name Hind bint Utbah (wife of Abu Sufyan), is known to Muslims. In the Battle of Uhud, she ripped open the body of the martyred Hamzah, uncle of the Prophet (pbuh), and chewed his liver. Have the takfiris, who claim to be Muslims, not indulged in similar conduct in Syria? If Bani Saud have financed and armed the takfiri terrorists in Syria, they have unleashed their firepower directly against the people of Yemen. They have relentlessly bombed the entire infrastructure of Yemen destroying power generating stations, water purification plants as well as historic buildings dating back thousands of years. For the Najdi Bedouins, history has no relevance unless it relates to their primitive clan from Dar‘iyyah. After all, Bani Saud have bulldozed all the historical sites of Islam in Makkah and Madinah without so much as a whisper of protest from their court preachers who are quick to scream bid‘ah at anything that does not conform to their primitive views! When they launched their murderous assault on Yemen last March, they alleged that the Ansarallah fighters in northern Yemen were a threat to Makkah and Madinah and planned to take over these sacred cities. Perhaps they thought the rest of the world is as ignorant of geography as they are. Makkah and Madinah are more than 1000km north of the Yemeni border. The Ansarallah fighters had gone south to Sana‘a and Aden.

The truth is that the Ansarallah/Houthi-led movement in Yemen wants an independent Yemen free from the domineering attitude of their northern neighbor while the Najdi Bedouins want to impose their own puppet on the country. They are unlikely to succeed. The same policy is being pursued in Syria with equally unsatisfactory results. Since Russia’s involvement in the fight against the takfiri terrorists, the US-Saudi-Zionist-Turkish policy in Syria is unraveling. This leads to the question: why are the Najdi Bedouins are so determined to get rid of Bashar al-Asad in Syria and vanquish the Ansarallah-Houthis in Yemen but have adopted deathly silence over the Zionist killing of Palestinians? They have spent tens of billions in Syria and Yemen but have not given even one riyal to the Palestinians for self-defence.

Some Muslims speculate that Bani Saud are one of the tribes of Bani Isra’il. They have put on the garb of Islam but are in reality not Muslims. We will not indulge in such speculation but narrate instead what the noble Messenger (pbuh) said about the Najdi Bedouins 1,400 years ago. In a hadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned the following, “O Allah! Bless for us our Sham [geographical Syria/Levant]; O Allah! Bless for us our Yemen.” They [Muslims in attendance] said, “And our Najd?” He (pbuh) said, “O Allah bless for us our Sham; O Allah! Bless for us our Yemen.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah! And our Najd?” And as if the third time around he (pbuh) said, “There [in Najd] will occur tremors, sedition, and with it shall arise the generation of Satan.” The words used in the Arabic text are qarn al-shaytan, which are often literally translated as the horn of Satan; in this context, however, the Arabic word qarn refers figuratively to a generation (of people) who would do the bidding of Satan while wearing the guise of Islam. This is further corroborated by another hadith, also from Sahih al-Bukhari, in which Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (ra) narrates the Prophet’s (pbuh) words about the types of Muslims from the tribe of Bani Tamim who were “obsessed” with the “technical” (ritualistic) performance of salah and siyam but were far removed from the din of Islam. The Wahhabi high priest, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab was from the tribe of Bani Tamim and his own brother, Sulayman, told him that he was the one being cited as the “generation of Satan,” which the Prophet (pbuh) had mentioned in his hadith. Do we need to say any more about Bani Saud? Zafar Bangash is Director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought

From Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa…

by Zafar Bangash October, 2015 Two sacred mosques in Islam—Masjid al Haram in Makkah and Masjid al-Aqsa in al-Quds (Jerusalem)—are under threat. The global Muslim Ummah must take serious note of these challenges and take appropriate steps. The most sacred mosque in Islam—al-Masjid al-Haram—and the first qibla of the Muslims—al-Masjid al-Aqsa—are under threat: one under the occupation of the Bani Saud, the other under their Zionist kissing cousins, the Bani Isra’il. While Muslim attention is diverted to the ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, they have been unable to pay adequate attention to what is underway in the two holy sanctuaries. In Makkah and al-Madinah, the Najdi Bedouins (Bani Saud) are busy demolishing anything that stands in their way to build obscene Western style steel, concrete and glass structures turning these holy cities into cheap replica of Las Vegas or Los Angeles. They have no regard for Islamic history or Islamic heritage sites. Their demolition crimes are compounded by their callous disregard for the safety and security of hujjaj during each Hajj. This year’s twin tragedies have brought home to Muslims the utter incompetence of the Bani Saud.

Further to the north in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Bani Isra’il have been busy pushing their way into Masjid al-Aqsa. Illegal Zionist squatters from North America and Europe (aka Jewish settlers), they have no regard for Muslim rights—religious, political or social. The pushy Zionists have an enabling regime in Tel Aviv headed by the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. The heavily armed Zionist squatters have the full backing of the even more heavily armed Zionist occupation army when they invade and desecrate the holy sanctuary. The Masjid al-Aqsa, the Dome of the Rock and a number of madrassas are located on the holy sanctuary. These are sacred to Muslims and are valiantly being protected by Palestinians with little or no help from anybody. The Zionists have made no secret of their desire to destroy the Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock to build their mythical third temple in their place. For decades, they carried out excavations underneath the holy site hoping to find some “traces” of the earlier temples but the real reason was to bring down the structures. They found nothing; there was nothing to discover. There have been no traces of the earlier temples but the Zionists have never been constrained by historical facts. In recent years, they have become much more belligerent by attacking the holy sanctuary directly. The Zionists demand the “right” to worship on the holy sanctuary even though Jewish religious law expressly forbids trespassing this sacred space. They have no right to be there.

For Muslims the challenges are clear. The three most sacred sites in Islam—Makkah, al-Madinah and Al-Quds—face a relentless onslaught from thieves and husslers. The current of regimes in the Muslim world will not lift a finger to defend Muslim rights or Islam’s historical sites. The exceptions are the Islamic Republic of Iran and such revolutionary movements as Hizbullah in Lebanon and Ansarallah in Yemen. Together with these, the global Islamic movement must raise its voice and mobilize the Ummah for the defence of its sacred sites. It will not help to protest or even cry once they are destroyed. The time to act is now!

Bani Saud unfit to manage Hajj affairs

by Zafar Bangash October, 2015 The Saudis cannot be left to manage the affairs of Hajj. They are unfit physically and mentally to discharge this great responsibility. It should be taken over by a group of learned scholars backed by properly trained professionals. The massive casualties during this year’s Hajj have far surpassed similar casualties in previous years. They have rekindled debate about the Bani Saud management—or mismanagement—of Hajj and its related activities. They started even prior to formal Hajj ceremonies when on September 11, a large construction crane collapsed into Masjid al-Haram causing 115 deaths and 398 injuries. Strong winds and rainstorm were blamed for the tragedy without addressing the question of why the most sacred mosque in Islam has been turned into a huge construction site with tens of cranes dotting the skyline assaulting the spiritual ambience in such a grotesque way. The hujjaj had not yet overcome the shock of the Haram deaths when an even greater calamity struck at the Jamarat site in Mina on September 24. Initially, the Saudis mentioned 310 deaths gradually revising it upward to 717 dead. The last official figure released by the Saudi regime is 769 dead and some 934 people injured. These bear no resemblance to reality. For instance, on September 28, Pakistani diplomats said Saudi officials had given them photographs of 1,100 dead pilgrims from which to identify their own citizens. Indian diplomats have also corroborated these figures.

What this indicates is that the Saudis have indirectly admitted that at least 1,100 pilgrims died. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on September 28 that the bodies of over 700 African pilgrims had been buried in Saudi Arabia. He mentioned this in the context of Tehran’s demand that the bodies of its pilgrims be returned to Iran. President Hassan Rouhani cut short his trip to the UN General Assembly in New York and returned to Tehran the same day to receive the bodies of Iranian pilgrims but the Saudis created a hurdle and failed to live up to their obligations. The head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Saeed Ohadi said that 464 Iranian pilgrims had been killed in the stampede at Mina. This is the largest number of casualties of any country. Earlier, he had said that a total of 228 Iranians were confirmed dead with 27 wounded and 248 Iranians still unaccounted for. Among those missing were about 200 Iranian diplomats that prompted Ali Akbar Velayati, former foreign minister and advisor to the Rahbar on International Affairs, to say that the Mina tragedy was highly “suspicious”. He said that the Saudi regime works closely with the Zionist regime and hinted that the diplomats could have been kidnapped. The Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a strongly worded statement warning the Saudis of a “harsh” response from the Islamic Republic if the bodies of Iranian pilgrims were not returned immediately.

The questions everyone is asking are: how many pilgrims have died and what responsibility does the Saudi regime bear? Also, how did the tragedy occur? It is unacceptable for the Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abd al Aziz al-Sheikh to declare that this was an “Act of God” and the officials bear no responsibility. The Saudi Health Minister Khalid al-Falih has also tried to blame the pilgrims by saying they “did not follow instructions.” The latest casualty figure, as gleaned from a statement by the Saudi Deputy Health Minister Hamad bin Muhammad al-Duweili is 4,173 dead and hundreds perhaps several thousand still missing. True to form, other Saudi officials immediately denied the report without saying what the actual figure was. Foreign diplomats have complained of lack of information and access to hospitals or other facilities to get a true picture of their pilgrims’ plight. How did the tragedy—not the first in Saudi-controlled Arabia—occur beyond the self-serving statements of Saudi officials blaming pilgrims? Reports from survivors at the stampede site have mentioned the arrival of Saudi deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The security forces immediately blocked off two streets to allow the Saudi ‘royal’ and his huge entourage to pass through. Also, all exit gates from the Jamarat site were blocked resulting in pilgrims being forced to return the same way they had entered causing a massive crush as other pilgrims were coming in. Who gave the order to shut off the exit routes and why? King Salman bin Abd al Aziz has ordered an inquiry into the stampede. What credibility would such an inquiry have when the Saudi grand mufti has already exonerated officials with the flourish that it was an “Act of God”. The Saudi health minister went even further; he blamed the pilgrims. Perhaps the pilgrims had a death wish!

There is a long list of such tragedies under Saudi control. On November 4, 1979, the Saudi regime brought French and Moroccan commandos to attack and killed 230 people, mostly Saudis that had sought refuge inside al-Masjid al-Haram. They carried out another slaughter on July 31, 1987, when Saudi security forces shot and killed 402 Iranian pilgrims for participating in the bara’at min al mushrikeen march in Makkah. Allah has expressly forbidden even arguments in the precincts of the Haram much less killing anyone (2:197). The other horrific episode was the death by suffocating of 1426 pilgrims in a tunnel on April 17, 1990 when the Saudis block off its exit. The reason? Some prince was passing nearby! These recurring tragedies raise serious questions about the administration and management of Hajj. Unfortunately there is lack of understanding among many Muslims about the Haramayn—the two holy cities of Makkah and al-Madinah. They do not belong to the Najdi Bedouins. They are the common heritage of the entire Muslim Ummah, hence they should be administered by a competent authority of ulama from all schools of thought. Muslim professionals specializing in crowd control, traffic management and flow should assist them. Additionally, Muslims specializing in urban planning should plan the cities of Makkah and al-Madinah as well as how Mina and Arafat are to be developed. The current Saudi practice of building massive structures without regard to pilgrims’ safety and security must stop immediately. Such structures have only added to the problem. The greatest problem, however, is the illegal occupation of the Haramayn by the Najdi Bedouins. If they do not give up their control voluntarily, then the global Islamic movement has to take other measures to rescue the two holy cities from their clutches. Nothing less would do, for the safety of the hujjaj as well as the larger Muslim Ummah.

Hujjaj deaths due to Saudi incompetence

by Zafar Bangash October, 2015

The Bani Saud have once again shown they are totally incompetent and callous. The horrific deaths of 4,173 pilgrims in Mina on September 24 is proof of their crimes. They should be put on trial for crimes against humanity. The Saudi regime has become synonymous with death and destruction, especially for the hujjaj (pilgrims). Those planning to go for Hajj or Umrah often go mentally prepared for some disaster to strike. While such awareness is part of a Muslim’s belief, this year the traditionally incompetent and callous Saudis surpassed their own pathetic record. It was reflected in the horrific death of some 4,000 pilgrims in Mina on September 24. This is by far the worst disaster to strike the hujjaj in living memory. While the Saudi regime and its apologists have admitted to more than 770 deaths, the real death toll is 4,173, according to Hamad bin Muhammad al-Duweili, Deputy Health Minister of Saudi Arabia, as reported on September 29 although the Saudi regime quickly denied the figure. When the news first emerged, the Saudi regime mentioned a figure of 310 deaths, not 300 or 350. Perhaps the 310 figure was meant to lend authenticity to their claim. Informed observers were convinced this figure would soon be surpassed but nobody had imagined it would reach 4,000, much less exceed it.

Eyewitnesses have narrated the sequence of events. The disaster occurred at 9 am local time. Pilgrims traditionally try to complete the first day of stoning ritual as early as possible to be able to shower and change from the ihram (two pieces of unstitched cloth) that they don for the three days of Hajj, into regular clothes. During the three days in ihram, they cannot shower or change clothes. They set out from Mina to Arafat and spend the day there in supplications and ibadat. Before offering Maghrib salat, they begin the short journey to Muzdalifah to offer Maghrib and Isha salat together and then spend the night there under the open sky. The pilgrims also collect pebbles for the next three days of stoning the devils in Mina. Immediately after Fajr salat, they head back to Mina for the first of the three-days of stoning of the Shayateen (devils). Rush on the first day of stoning the biggest Shaytan is heaviest because every pilgrim is heading for the same ritual. This is also the day that disasters frequently occur. Saudi Health Minister Khaled al-Falih blamed the pilgrims for the tragedy. “If the pilgrims had followed instructions, this type of accident could have been avoided,” he said, without explaining what those instructions were apart from blocking their passage. What happened and why has been pieced together from eyewitness accounts. They reported that two streets leading to the stoning site were blocked off. Saudi policemen closed all the gates except one leading to the stoning site creating a bottleneck. Further, the policemen held their arms creating a human chain further restricting the area for pilgrims to move in the scorching heat (it was 46 degrees centigrade in Mina!). Also, pilgrims were directed into small alleys through which other pilgrims, also directed by Saudi policemen, were coming to the stoning site. The Saudi regime and the police have not explained why the other gates were closed. There have been reports (in the Lebanese daily Al-Diyar, for instance, as well as from Nigerian pilgrims) that Saudi deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s presence in Mina caused the tragedy. He was travelling with a security detail of some 350 personnel. A video has also emerged of his presence there just prior to the stampede. Whenever a Saudi ‘royal’ appears anywhere, the surrounding streets are immediately blocked off. The policemen do not give any reason why they are blocking the streets nor do they bother to inform pilgrims further back not to keep moving toward the bottleneck. Pilgrims remain in the dark about what is happening. While the Saudi regime called the story of blocking streets for ibn Salman as “inaccurate”, it did not deny his presence in Mina. Further, it is customary for the king to receive ‘dignitaries’ in Mina [Hajj is supposed to obliterate all distinctions of class or status yet the Bani Saud reinforce it by their antics]. Whenever any ‘dignitaries’ are moved through Mina, traffic is blocked for them. This naturally causes problems for pilgrims because they cannot move to their intended destination. Muhammad bin Salman has become a symbol of disaster for the Saudis as well as pilgrims. It is under his command as defence minister that the Saudi regime has continued its murderous assault on Yemen even in the sacred months—Dhul Qa‘adah and Dhul Hijjah and the attacks are likely to continue in Muharram. Even the mushriks of Makkah of the Prophet’s (saws) time had more regard for the sacred months but not the uncouth Bedouins from Najd. This year’s Hajj has been an unmitigated disaster from the beginning. It started with the crane disaster in al-Masjid al-Haram, the most sacred site in Islam, on September 11 when a huge construction crane collapsed killing 115 people and injuring 398 others. This was followed on September 17 by a fire in a 1,500-room hotel in Aziziya where mercifully no pilgrims died but several suffered burns and other injuries. This was followed by the largest disaster in living memory of Hajj pilgrims: more than 4,000 pilgrims dead and hundreds injured. Several hundred, perhaps a thousand are still missing and unaccounted for including hundreds of Iranian diplomats. The Saudis have refused to provide any information about them leading Dr Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor on foreign affairs to the Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei, to call the Mina deaths “suspicious.”

For several years now, the Saudi regime has embarked on a furious construction binge in the name of “providing better facilities” for hujjaj. What they mean by better services in unclear but if the disasters are anything go by, the hujjaj would be better off without such “services”. The Masjid al Haram in Makkah resembles a huge construction site these days. It will remain this way for the foreseeable future under the Najdi Bedouins that have embarked on a 30-year construction spree (more like demolition derby) that will allow nothing to stand in its way: mountains or historical sites dating back to the early days of Islam are being dynamited or bulldozed. The Najdi Bedouins consider nothing sacred except their own primitive artefacts. There are giant cranes everywhere, their long arms hanging over the Haram courtyard like the scaffolding of a hangman’s noose. And it was one of these cranes that brought death to more than 100 pilgrims inside the Haram on September 11. The crane tipped over and collapsed inside the Haram crushing the pilgrims to death. The most sacred space on earth was splattered with blood, an act of supreme sacrilege. The regime’s official explanation was that there were strong winds and the contractor, the Bin Laden Group (does that ring a bell?) did not adhere to proper operating procedures. Who is responsible for their supervision? The regime has ordered members of the group not to leave the kingdom until an inquiry is completed. Its other projects have also been suspended.

The regime has said one million riyals ($270,000) compensation would be paid to each dead victim’s family and half that amount to the injured. Is that enough compensation; more importantly, could these deaths have been avoided? The Saudi regime would say, as they have done in the past over such tragedies, it is God’s Will. But what about those that make decisions about the kind of work that has been undertaken and the giant cranes that assault the spiritual ambience of the Haram? The decision to expand the Haram was made in 2008. It is a $200 billion project that would span 30 years. Yet even such lavish outlays would not alleviate the problem of pilgrim congestion because the entire approach is flawed. Even non-Muslim architects working on the project have pointed this out without visiting Makkah or Madinah. Anyone with even limited understanding of crowd management would point out that the first requirement is to have open space for people to be able to move. Building huge structures, as the Saudis have done all around the Haram and in Mina, only add to the problem. The steel, concrete and glass structures being built around the Haram consist of five- or even seven-star hotels, huge shopping plazas where western gadgets, jewellery, fast food and other junk items are sold. These structures are owned by members of the ruling family. They did not purchase the land from the original owners; they simply confiscated it. Further, these structures are not being built with their money. The ever-obliging court ulama have issued fatwas—what else is new—that they can take money from the Bait al Maal because they are providing services to the pilgrims! This is grand larceny compounded by the fact that rich pilgrims are gouged by attracting them to stay in these over-priced hotels. The idea being promoted is not to have a spiritual experience but to indulge in the worst kind of materialism and showmanship. The purpose of Hajj is to shun materialism and obliterate class differences but the Saudis are pushing Muslims in the opposite direction. The theft of land and resources is one dimension of the problem. More serious is the fact that historical monuments are or have been wiped out. This is a loss that can never be recovered.

The house of the Prophet’s beloved wife Khadijah (ra) in Makkah has been razed and replaced with public toilets. How can the Najdi Bedouins get away with such disrespect and why do the Muslims remain silent? Dar al Arqam at the foot of Mount Safa, where the Prophet (saws) taught his companions for 12 years, has been treated with a little less indignity; it has been levelled and replaced with the Hilton Hotel. Nearly 95 per cent of Makkah’s 1,000-year-old buildings have been destroyed during the past 20 years, according to the Gulf Institute in Washington DC. The Najdi Bedouins’ vandalism destroying Islamic heritage sites is unparalleled. Unfortunately most Muslims have paid scant attention to such destruction. The vast majority have remained ignorant of this fact as well as their significance. Those Muslims that have some awareness have either been silenced by buying them off or the more vocal ones have been marginalized. Inside the Arabian Peninsula, they are thrown in jail; outside, the Najdi Bedouins pay huge sums to buy media outlets or their loyalty so that they would not raise such issues. Facts, however, are stubborn things. Such information is seeping out. The Independent of London has been particularly good about it. There are also occasional articles in other newspapers such as the New York Times. This needs to be highlighted more frequently in order to mobilize global opinion against such destructive practices. Once destroyed, Islamic heritage sites cannot be replaced. Muslims that have had an opportunity to perform Hajj—and it is becoming increasingly difficult because of over-pricing as well as the Saudis’ imposition of a quota system completely contrary to the teachings of the Qur’an—have experienced other problems. Deaths of pilgrims have become a common occurrence. Last month’s deaths in Haram when the crane collapsed as well as the deaths in Mina were not the first and will not be the last. The Najdi Bedouins’ incompetence is compounded by their callousness and absolute bloody-mindedness. The Qur’an categorically states that there should be no lewd speech, wicked conduct or quarrelling during pilgrimage (2:197) yet the Najdi Bedouins have slaughtered hundreds of pilgrims in Makkah during Hajj. On Jul 31, 1987, more than 400 Iranian hujjaj many of them women, were mercilessly gunned down or trampled to death when Saudi soldiers opened fire on them. What was the pilgrims’ crime to deserve such fate? They were participating in the Bara’at min al-mushrikeen march as commanded by Allah in the noble Qur’an (9:03). There have been other horrific events. On January 12, 2006, 346 pilgrims were killed at the foot of the Jamarat Bridge when they came to perform the stoning of the Shaytan rites. More than 1,000 others were injured. The stampede occurred only a few days after 76 hujjaj were killed when the building they were staying in collapsed. Such stampedes are common as evidenced by the fact that two years earlier, another 250 pilgrims were crushed to death. And in February 2011, 145 pilgrims, most of them Pakistani women, were crushed to death at the same site for stone throwing rites. The September 24 deaths have surpassed all these disasters with its death toll of 4,173 and counting. In 1990, there was a similar disaster in a tunnel between Makkah and Mina. More than 1400 pilgrims suffocated inside when the Saudi policemen blocked the exit from the tunnel because some prince and his entourage were passing by. In the 25-year period, it seems nothing has changed. As part of their explanation about the Mina disaster, the Saudi regime also indulged in racism. Yes, the Najdi Bedouins are quite racist. They accused the African pilgrims of not following “instructions”. The regime’s spokesmen have not explained what instructions were issued and how they failed to abide by them. Eyewitnesses have said they were forced into narrow congested alleys. There was movement in both directions. Surely, the pilgrims did not choose to go into those alleys to be suffocated; they were ordered to go in there. Again, the regime has not explained why the gates were closed and why pilgrims were forced into the alleys. Eyewitness accounts lend credence to reports of the arrival of Muhammad bin Salman in Mina. This would account for the gates’ closure and indeed closure of several nearby streets so that ‘his royal highness’ could pass without hindrance. This is typical of Saudi behaviour. Even when the disaster struck, it took more than two hours for rescue teams to arrive. The few Saudi policemen with protruding bellies just stood there, looking at the carnage without lifting a finger to help the injured. Other pilgrims helped those that were injured and gave them water to drink.

There was only a small contingent of rescue workers that came and instead of helping the injured to save their lives, they started picking up the dead bodies. This reflects their complete lack of management and rescue skills. The standard operating procedure after any accident, such as a road accident, is to tend to the injured and leave the dead alone. The dead cannot be helped but if the injured do not get timely help, they may also die. This is precisely what happened in Mina: the Saudi rescue teams busied themselves with picking up bodies of the dead. The aftermath of the disaster has been marred by equally callous behaviour of the Saudis. Dead bodies were dumped into trucks as if they were garbage. Little effort was made to ensure proper name tags on bodies for easy identification later. Egyptian pilgrims have confirmed that the Saudi policemen insultingly demanded of them to go and identify some bodies to determine whether they were Egyptians. People looking for loved ones or friends were provided little help. The regime set up a telephone helpline but those that called have reported that it was a waste of time. They got little or no information. Pilgrims made the rounds of hospitals and the morgue outside Mina in search of loved one but were given no information. Even Muslim countries’ consular officials found the Saudis quite unhelpful. As a consequence of the latest disaster to strike the pilgrims, there are renewed calls for taking the management of Hajj affairs from the hands of the Saudi regime. These should be administered by a committee of competent ulama from different Muslim countries, as suggested by Hizbullah Secretary General Shaykh Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah. The Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei of Iran declared three days of mourning and said the Saudi regime must accept full responsibility for the latest disaster. He also demanded that the Saudi regime should offer an apology for its failure to protect the pilgrims.

Sayyed Nasrallah to Saudi Invaders: Yemeni People will Triumph, You’ll be Defeated

Marwa Haidar Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah lashed out at Saudi Arabia over its war on Yemen, stressing that the failure of Riyadh’s foreign policy is the real reason behind the Kingdom’s attack against its neighbor. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan NasrallahIn a televised speech aired on al-Manar TV, Sayyed Nasrallah called on Saudi Arabia to halt its military attack on Yemen, saying there’s still a chance for the Kingdom to change its mind over the assault. In this context, the Lebanese resistance leader stressed that the only solution for the Yemeni crisis is political, “or else the invaders will be defeated.” Meanwhile, his eminence said that the problem in Yemen is not because Saudi Arabia wants to defend a government or a president; it is rather because Saudi Arabia has lost its influence in Yemen. “If the aim of the war on Yemen is to save the Yemeni people, then why did Saudi Arabia abandon the Palestinian people for long decades?” Sayyed Nasrallah meanwhile said that the latest developments in Yemen prove “that Arab states have never considered Israel an enemy.” “Saudi Arabia has opposed the revolution which had overthrown Hosni Mubarak. Why didn’t they form a coalition to strike Egypt?” “Baseless Pretext” Hezbollah leader meanwhile elaborated the pretexts used by the Saudi Arabia to justify it war on Yemen, saying they are "baseless" pretexts. “Pretext that Yemen represents a threat to Gulf states is baseless,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that “one of the most big lies Saudi Arabia has been propagating is that Iran is occupying Yemen.” The major mentality of Saudi Arabia is that it does not recognize the rights of the peoples of the region, his eminence said.

Failed Policy “Where are the achievements of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy since 30 years ago?” Sayyed Nasrallah wondered, stressing that the failure of Riyadh’s policy “is prompting the people of the region to resort to Iran.” Sayyed Nasrallah furthermore accused the Saudi Arabia of being inciting the Iraqi Dictator, Saddam Hussein to wage the war against Iran in the last century. He added that Riyadh has been behind the terrorist crimes committed by the Takfiri suicide bombers in Iraq and Syria. “What did you do for Iraq? You had funded the war waged by Saddam Hussein against Iran. You supported Saddam Hussein as he was committing genocide against Iraqi people. You had also supported George Bush in his war on Iraq. And when the Iraqi people resisted the US occupation you had supported al-Qaeda-linked groups and Takfiri militants, and ISIL is your latest crime.” “The Saudi intelligence was sending the booby-trapped cars and funding the suicide attacks on the Iraqi cities. You have sent the Takfiri monsters to Syria not to save the Syrian people, but to subdue Syria. However Syria will remain free and independent,” Sayyed Nasrallah said referring to Saudi Arabia. Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that it’s the Yemeni people's right to defend their country against the Saudi airstrikes. The invaders have been defeated throughout history, Sayyed Nasrallah said, noting that the airstrikes alone don’t determine the looser and the winner of a battle, and that there is still the ground battle which has the final word. Dialogue, STL, Presidential Vote On the other hand, Hezbollah S.G. stressed that the dialogue between the resistance party and the Future movement is still going on, noting that the move is a national interest. “We will go on with the dialogue with Future movement since it is considered a national interest.” Concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is tasked with probing the 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafiq Hariri, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that all its trials and rules do not concern Hezbollah. “We are not concerned with all events related to the STL, and what was said during its sessions has no legal value.” Responding to claims that Iran is hindering the preidnetial elections in Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said: “Iran has not interfered in the presidential elections, and will not do so. Tehran is not responsible for the current deadlock.” His eminence however, stressed that Saudi Arabia is hindering the presidential vote. “Saudi FM, Saud al-Faisal, he who is vetoing the election of the candidate who has the majority within the Christians in Lebanon.”