Iran MPs urge OIC to send fact-finding team to Saudi Arabia
Iranian lawmakers have called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia to probe the recent deadly incident that happened during the Hajj pilgrimage rituals in Mina, outside the holy city of Mecca.
The Iranian MPs made the demand in a statement that was released on Sunday, adding that the fact-finding mission – which should include members from the countries whose pilgrims were among the victims of the tragic incident – should disclose the reasons behind the catastrophe to Muslims across the globe.
On September 24, a fatal crush took place in Mina as two large crowds of pilgrims were on their way to participate in the symbolic stoning of Satan, a Hajj ritual. Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry has put the death toll from the incident at nearly 770. However, the fatality figure released by Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization stands at around 2,000.
The death toll of the Iranian pilgrims, according to the latest announcement by the organization, stands at 169. Some 48 Iranians have also been wounded, and 307 others are still missing.
The Iranian lawmakers also called on the Iranian judiciary officials to follow up on the legal and judicial dimensions of the incident in international legal bodies to compel the perpetrators of the disaster to shoulder responsibility for the tragedy.
The statement said that the incident in Mina and other incidents during Hajj rituals clearly show the “Saudi officials’ mismanagement and incompetency.”
A host of incidents occurred during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage rituals. Some 109 people were killed in the collapse of a giant crane in the Grand Mosque in Mecca on September 11. On Friday, Egyptian pilgrims stationed in Mina reported a fire in their tents, although no official casualties were reported.
The MPs also called on the Iranian administration to assess through the medium of the OIC the issue of collective management of the affairs of the holy sites in Mecca and Medina by Islamic countries during the Hajj pilgrimage rituals to prevent the recurrence of such catastrophes.
The lawmakers also slammed the Al Saud regime for playing a blame game instead of accepting responsibility.
Addressing the Iranian parliament’s open session on Sunday, Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said the Saudi government is the main culprit in the deadly incident in Mina.
The Iranian parliament on Sunday held a closed-door session to discuss the tragedy in Mina. Iran’s Minister of Culture Ali Jannati, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli and Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian attended the session.
