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Saudi Arabia bans Qatari pilgrims from entering Mecca as dilpomatic row deepens

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Saudi Arabia bans Qatari pilgrims from entering Mecca as dilpomatic row deepens

The diplomatic row between Qatar and a good number of Gulf of Arab nations is deepening after Saudi authorities barred Qatari pilgrims from entering Mecca in a move which has been condemned by human rights groups.

Reports by a Doha-based Al Sharq newspaper revealed that Qatari citizens were prevented from entering the Grand Mosque in Mecca, marking a sharp escalation in the Gulf diplomatic crisis.

Read also: SANCTIONS: We won’t abandon Qatar, Turkey’s Erdogan promises

According to Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri, the head of Qatar’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the incident is a flagrant violation of the right to practice religious rites as permitted by human rights conventions.

The diplomatic crisis which has hit the Gulf of Arab was sparked after a hacking dispute which revealed leaks and comments falsely attributed to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The comments which came to the open after the hack has set Qatar against the Gulf’s Arab countries, forcing Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt to cut ties with the oil rich country.

 

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