Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 18-08-2017

Qatari hajj pilgrims have begun crossing into Saudi Arabia after the kingdom reopened the border in a move that Doha welcomed but saw as “politically motivated” as regional tensions simmer.

The Salwa border crossing, a key passage for Muslims on the annual hajj pilgrimage, has been closed since June in a major diplomatic crisis that saw Riyadh and its regional allies cut relations with Doha over allegations that the emirate supported Islamist extremists.

Qatar has denied the charge and in turn accused Riyadh of politicising the hajj by restricting its citizens from making the pilgrimage to Makkah.

Around 120 Qataris entered Saudi territory on Thursday through the Salwa border, also known as Abu Samrah, after King Salman called for the border to be opened for pilgrims without electronic permits.

State news agency SPA announced the government separately allocated seven flights of the Saudi national carrier to bring pilgrims from Doha at the monarch’s expense.

Qatar welcomed the decision but Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on a visit to Stockholm lashed out at what it called Riyadh’s politicisation of religious freedoms.

“What matters to us is the bottom line, which is that our citizens now have a way to attend the hajj, and we uphold our demand that hajj be spared politicisation.”

The decision also drew strong comments on social media, with many Qataris reacting critically.

“We do not need the [Saudi] king’s charity. The Qatari right to pilgrimage is not given as charity from the king,” one Qatari wrote on Twitter.

The hajj, a pillar of Islam that capable Muslims must perform at least once, is to take place this year at the start of September and it is expected to draw around two million Muslims from around the world.