“Controversy Erupts as Sheikh Al-Sudais Urges Crowding Reduction During Gulf Summits in Mecca”
Once again, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, General President of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, the imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, returns to stir up controversy from the pulpit of the Grand Mosque, where he called on those visiting the Holy House of God in the last ten days of Ramadan to reduce the crowding in the mosque during the days of the Gulf summits.
Arab and Islamic events, which will be held in the coming days in Mecca. It is known that the last ten days of the blessed month of Ramadan witness a large turnout of pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque, to perform Umrah and seclusion and to enjoy the gifts and rewards that God has prepared for His servants therein, and this is the case every year.
Al-Sudais called on the Umrah pilgrims and visitors to slow down to contribute to the success of the three summits, which are being held almost simultaneously.
The prayer is doubled in the Haram area. He added that this relieves the Muslim of embarrassment and gives him flexibility in performing prayers “in appreciation of these blessed events, and also the guests of the Most Gracious, and then the guests of this blessed country.”Sheikh Al-Sudais stressed the importance of “cooperating with our rulers” and praying for them and “the Muslim leaders for righteousness, success, prosperity, success, and progress so that this conference can produce the great effects that depend on it.
Social media activists responded to Al-Sudais’ call with anger and disapproval, wondering why the Saudi regime chose the place and time to hold the three summits from the 25th to the 27th of Ramadan in Mecca, which is the peak time of worship and the turnout of pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque, and then warns them against gatherings and crowds!
They said: Why was another place not chosen in the vast Kingdom instead of restricting visitors to the Most Gracious, and asking them to pray in other mosques in Mecca, when they were the ones who came from their countries and paid huge sums of money and additional fees imposed on them by the Kingdom? Al-Sudais said in his speech that the three summits aim to achieve goodness for Islam and Muslims, which is what activists and tweeters saw as Abbas’ feelings toward Muslims, and camouflage the main purpose of the summit, which is to mobilize Saudi Arabia Arabs and Muslims to serve its purposes and interests, as it seeks support from them after it became certain that US President Trump is not serious. In fighting Iran, the most important thing he seeks is more Saudi money. The activists called on Al-Sudais to stop exploiting the pulpit of the Grand Mosque to serve the political purposes of the Saudi regime, stressing that these holy places are a destination and a destination for Muslims in all parts of the world, and are not limited to the ruling regime in Saudi Arabia. They pointed out that the Saudi regime, which deprived Qataris of Umrah and imposed restrictions on them, will not hesitate to do anything to serve its agenda and interests, even at the expense of the comfort of visitors to the Sacred House of God.
