Citizens, residents deprived of Haj and Umrah for second year

DOHA: It is the second year that Qataris and residents of Qatar are deprived by Saudi authorities from performing Haj and Umrah as a kind of exploiting them for political purposes.

The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has recorded until last April about 165 complaints of violating the right of practice of religious rites, according to report aired by Al Jazeera.

The Compensation Claims Committee has transferred more than 6,000 complaints from individuals and companies affected by the ongoing blockade on Qatar to international law firms.

It has a large number of complaints related to the violations of right to religious practice, and the economic and emotional effects the violations have left.

Saudi Arabia, since the imposition of the blockade on Qatar on June 5, has expelled Qatari pilgrims before they could complete their Umrah, which means that the Saudi Arabia is not respecting this sacred rituals and do not realize the rights of those pilgrims stipulated in Islamic law and international law.

The losses of 40 Qatari companies operating in Haj and Umrah during the season last year and this year are estimated at QR200m.

Most of these losses are because of that the operators made contracts with many hotels and entities before Haj. Moreover, nearly 2,000 people were supposed to perform Haj last year, but they were banned by Saudi authorities.

The losses and damages have affected the entire Qatari society, due to the surprising nature of the measures which came without a timetable or schedule to cause the biggest damage possible.

The NHRC has repeatedly emphasised that the Haj cannot be used for political and personal calculations or mediations, rather, it is a right guaranteed by international agreements on Human Rights and Islamic law.

The siege was imposed by three GCC countries on Qatar on June 5 and violated the rights of people to travel, their right to education, work, and residency and also separated families. Hundreds of shipments for individuals and local companies were seized in the UAE.