‘Are you Shia?’, Hajj pilgrims to declare sect

Pakistani pilgrims to perform Hajj this year will have to declare whether they are “Shia’ on their Hajj application forms.

According to sources, Riyadh has made it mandatory for all Hajj pilgrims to declare their sect as it fears that sectarian tensions could rise in the kingdom owing to the conflict in Yemen.

A high level government officials of religious affairs said, “Saudi Arabia will not entertain any Hajj application from aspirants that fail to specify whether the applicant is a Shia or a Sunni.”

 The government official also added a question on page eight of the Hajj application form with the question “Are you Shia.”

The Ministry of Religious Affairs Spokesperson Muhammad Farooq said, “Aspirants are supposed to fill it with: ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”

Defending the saudi requirement another official added “Saudis do not want a repeat of the 1987 demonstrations during the Hajj pilgrimage, which led to the deaths of over 400 people in Makkah,” .

On April 16, Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a notification for an exception of Shia females for not taking ‘Mehram’ with them. Shia women, unlike their Sunni counterparts, can perform Hajj without a ‘Mehram’.

Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Tahir Ashrafi said  “It’s not a new move. Pilgrims should abide by Saudi laws and declare their sect. Pilgrims are treated equally regardless of their sect,” he stated.

Amin Shaheedi, Chief of  Council for Islamic Ideology, said that, “We have no problem with this new addition. If Saudis are satisfied with this new move, Shia community is ready to abide by newly amended laws.”