Information minister lauds Saudi Arabia’s services to pilgrims

Manama, Aug. 17 (BNA): Information Affairs Minister and Board of Trustees Chairman of the Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD), Ali bin Mohammed Al-Romaihi, has asserted that the "tremendous efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia to ensure the success of the Haj season every year is an extraordinary success story of which both the Arab and Muslim nations are proud." "The world pays homage to Saudi Arabia and admires its great Haj achievements, as well as accurate planning and implementation," he also said in a statemment to the "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" newspaper. Al-Romaihi highlighted Saudi Arabia’s special care for the holy sites, as well as keenness to harness all its official capabilities and human potentials to remove all obstacles and difficulties tha may face Haj or Omrah pilgrims. The minister lauded the great service provided by Saudi Arabia to enable pilgrims to perform their rituals easily and comfortably, wishing the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques a successful Haj season. Commenting on the Qatari authorities’ prevention of the Qatari people from performing Haj, Al-Romaihi stressed that the "Qatari regime is more keen on its sports teams’ participation in sporting events in Saudi Arabia, than on its people’s performance of the fifth pillar of Islam –Haj." Al-Romaihi pointed out that "the Qatari regime has been committed to participating in a number of sports events in Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Manama, and has used non-Qatari aircraft to transport its sports teams there, but prevents its people from performing the holy pilgrimage, using Qatar Airways as a mere pretext to carry on its deplorable attempts to politicise Haj." The minister emphasised that such "a flagrant step is no longer accepted by the brotherly Qatari people, whose citizens are proud of Islam, their Arab identity and their close relations with sisterly Saudi Arabia."