DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Authorities say Syrians will not be able to perform the annual Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj this year because of a conflict with Saudi Arabia.
State-run news agency SANA says the Syrian side carried out all required procedures for the pilgrimage season scheduled to begin next month but said Saudi authorities failed to agree on details on time. Saudi authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.
Countries normally agree on numbers of worshippers to travel to Mecca — Islam’s holiest site — for the Hajj ahead of time.
Syria-Saudi relations have deteriorated over Syria’s civil war.
Syria accuses Saudi Arabia of helping rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad. The kingdom has been fiercely critical of the Assad regime’s crackdown on the uprising.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Millions of Muslims participate in the pilgrimage.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
