Saudi Authorities Arrest Man After Mecca Pilgrimage For Queen Elizabeth
- Yemeni national posted a video clip of himself at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site
The Authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested a man who claimed to have travelled to the Muslim holy city of Mecca to perform an umrah pilgrimage on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.
The man, a Yemeni national, published a video clip of himself on social media on Monday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, where non-Muslims are forbidden.
In the clip, he held up a banner saying: “Umrah for the soul of Queen Elizabeth II, we ask God to accept her in heaven and among the righteous.”
The footage was circulated widely on Saudi social media, with Twitter users calling for the man’s arrest.
Saudi Arabia forbids pilgrims to Mecca from carrying banners or chanting slogans. While it is acceptable to perform umrah on behalf of deceased Muslims, this does not apply to non-Muslims like the Queen, who was supreme governor of the Church of England, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican communion.
A statement aired on the state media late on Monday said security forces at the Grand Mosque “arrested a resident of Yemeni nationality who appeared in a video clip carrying a banner inside the Grand Mosque, violating the regulations and instructions for umrah”.
It was further said; “He was arrested, legal measures were taken against him and he was referred to the public prosecution.”
State television broadcast segments about the incident that included the video clip, but with the banner blurred. – With The Guardian reports
