Alwaght- Many would-be Qatari pilgrims are unable to travel for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca due to lack of cooperation and impediments imposed by the Saudi regime.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia - which oversees and manages Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina - has made it impossible for Qataris to perform Hajj.
Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims worldwide are expected to make at least once in their lifetime, if they are able to.
The Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, which regulates and organizes the annual Hajj for Qatari citizens and residents, announced it hasn't received responses from its Saudi counterpart on travel logistics or security guarantees.
The decision to bar many Qataris from performing Hajj comes amid a diplomatic dispute between Qatar and several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.
Since 5 June, the four Arab regimes cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting what they call extremist groups, including Palestinian Hamas resistance movement and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as having close ties with neighboring Iran.
The official Qatar News Agency reported on Tuesday that Qatar's religious authorities "did not find any cooperation or positive response from the Ministry of Hajj, which has led to confusion and suspension of the regulatory process for Qatar's pilgrims".
The lack of communication and cooperation from the Saudi side ultimately means there will be no Hajj for Qatar's citizens and residents in 2017.
Saad Sultan al-Abdullah, director of international cooperation at Qatar's National Human Rights Commission, expressed concern that Muslims were being prevented from performing their religious duty.
"There should be no mixing between political disputes and Muslims' natural and human right to perform their religious duties," he said.
Abdelmajid Mrari, head of the Middle East and North Africa division at the Brussels-based Alliance for Freedom and Dignity, criticized Saudi authorities for mishandling the situation.
"Mecca is not owned by any government. Mecca is for all Muslims," Mrari has said.
"The Saudi behavior is a clear violation of Islamic values and norms, as well as all international human rights agreements and conventions."
