Qasem Qaseer told Mohammad Mazhari of Mehr News on Sunday that Saudi officials should have prevented the disaster through taking effective measures; “Saudi government is the sole authority in handling the grave and huge event of Hajj pilgrimage and hence it is the sole responsible authority for the deaths of Hajj pilgrims during Mina stampede,” he told Mehr News. “Saudi officials resort to measures to evade that responsibility through blaming some pilgrims for the incident; even if pilgrims are to be blamed, Saudi regime should have taken good measures to prevent death and injuries of thousands of pilgrims of the Holy Shrines during the ritual,” he asserted.
On the possibility of establishment of a special committee consisting of Islamic countries to handle Hajj pilgrimage ceremony, Qaseer believed that the plan would be virtually impossible, albeit it might seem realisticو “as Saudi Arabia would not permit such committee established ever; they might agree to establishment of a high commissioner to help Saudi officials in handling the event of Hajj though,” he added.
Qaseer also told Mehr News that such a committee would be possible through Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). On a question of the religious juristic interpretation of Saudi regime’s possible expending of the incomes from Hajj pilgrimage in supporting Takfirists in Syria and in striking Yemen, he said that no information as to how Saudis actually use or abuse these incomes is available; “however, they should transparently give a financial statement of how these huge sums are spent, since they belong to all Muslims collectively,” he told Mehr News.
Interview by Mohammad Mazhari
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