Syrians barred from making pilgrimage to Mecca
Damascus blames Saudi Arabia for not letting Muslim countrymen perform the Hajj
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.
Millions of Muslims participate in the pilgrimage.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.