Senior figures in the Kingdom and abroad have insisted that the Haj pilgrimage season is a time for worship and not for politics. Reflecting King Abdullah's words at Monday's Cabinet meeting that the Kingdom “will not allow anyone to disturb the atmosphere of Haj, put pilgrim safety at risk or attempt to disunite Muslims”, Yusuf Khateeb of Al-Aqsa Mosque appealed to pilgrims to devote themselves to Haj rituals and refrain from politically motivated processions. “The Haj is a great Islamic conference bringing Muslims together from all corners of the world to worship Allah with one tongue,” Khateeb told Okaz newspaper. “This reflects the unity of the Ummah, and politicizing Haj and turning it into a political platform is a line that must not be crossed.” Khateeb said the Holy Mosque was a “secure place for worshipping” and “not a place for sectarianism”. “All Islamic counties and Haj missions are concerned that Haj should only be for Haj and no other purpose, and the host country makes great effort so that the Guests of Allah may perform rituals in safety and comfort,” Khateeb said. The former deputy foreign minister of Egypt, Abdullah Al-Ash'al, told Okaz that attempts to mix politics with worship and exploiting the Haj season “goes against the most basic principles of the Haj”. “Any country that sends its pilgrims with a certain agenda in mind to demonstrate and cause disunity during the Haj is committing political and religious meddling and demeaning the duty of the Haj and a basic pillar of the religion,” Al-Ash'al said. The former vice president of Yemen, Abdul Rahman Al-Baydani, told Okaz that “mixing politics with religious rituals weakens the Ummah and goes against the spirit of Haj as it affects Muslim unity”. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has also warned that Haj is “a season of worship and piety and harmony of hearts, and whoever makes calls for the opposite makes false calls”. Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, who was speaking on Monday at a King Saud University conference on teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, said “we are not against other languages, the learning of which is necessary for the interests of the Ummah, but Arabic must be preserved as it is the language of the Quran”. Al-Sheikh described the conference, organized by the university's Arabic Language Institute, as an “important” event that should be “supported and encouraged”. Teaching Arabic, he said, is “one of the most powerful ways of the Call.” The gathering also held discussions on topics such as national identity and scientific foundations for grammar curricula for non-Arabic speakers, and saw the Grand Mufti and the director of King Saud University launch its Arabic Language Teaching Web site.
