Hundreds of Muslims in India participated in a mass protest in New Delhi against the Saudi authorities and the politicization of the Two Holy Mosques. They demanded a joint Islamic administration of Mecca and Medina.
At the invitation of the International Commission to Monitor Saudi Administration of the Two Holy Mosques, the demonstrators raised banners written in Arabic and English stressing that the Kaaba is for all Muslims and not only for the Al Saud family and that all Muslims demand partnership in the administration of the Two Holy Mosques.
The protesters chanted slogans stressing that the Two Holy Mosques are for all Muslims and demanded an end to the violations of the politicization of the Two Holy Mosques by the Saudi authorities, including the unjustified prevention of Muslim pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims from entering the Kingdom to perform religious rites.
The Saudi authorities use the platforms of the Two Holy Mosques to serve their internal and external policies and orientations without regard to the need to avoid politicizing the Two Holy Mosques.
The Saudi authorities have constantly reiterated their emphasis on preventing the politicization of the Two Holy Mosques and attacking those who demand its internationalization to avoid its political use.
However, the reality clearly shows that the Saudi authorities are exploiting and poisoning the Two Holy Mosques.
Through the pulpits of the Two Holy Mosques, preachers from the Saudi authorities used to deliver sermons that included government political positions, attacking Islamic movements that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman disapproved.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs circulated the Friday sermon in the Two Holy Mosques last November to attack the Muslim Brotherhood and warn against belonging to it.
Bin Salman also deliberately used the platforms of the Two Holy Mosques to justify rapprochement and deal with Israel at the height of the official Gulf eagerness for normalization.
In addition, using the platforms of the Two Holy Mosques to incite prisoners of conscience and justify the injustice inflicted on them.
The Saudi authorities’ politicization of the Two Holy Mosques has reached the point of blessing military coups in the Arab Spring countries and inciting any popular movements calling for freedoms.
In addition, bin Salman employed the Two Holy Mosques to serve his external goals. For years, he prevented Qataris from performing Hajj except through a royal favour presented to them through an opposition Qatari emir.
The Saudi authorities also dealt very intransigently with the Syrians and Yemenis by imposing burdensome restrictions that reduced their chances of performing the rites of Hajj and Umrah.
The Saudi regime has also deliberately adopted settling political scores with certain countries by imposing measures to prevent Muslims from accessing the Two Holy Mosques.
At the same time, the Crown Prince uses the pulpits of the Two Holy Mosques to impose on the preachers the necessity of long prayers for him and his father, the king, to increase their popularity.
These combined steps and stances show that the Saudi authorities are politicizing the two holy sites.