Sheikh Al-Sudais: No room for political slogans during Hajj

Makkah (IINA) – At a time when Saudi authorities announced that the pilgrims can make full use of the largest ever expansion of the Grand Mosque during this year's Hajj, Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque and head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, rejected the calls to politicize Hajj.
In a statement on the sidelines of the Grand Hajj Forum concluded in Makkah on Wednesday, Sheikh Sudais said: "Hajj is not a room for political slogans, nor for calls of disunity, racism, partisanship and sectarianism."
He stressed that "Hajj is a message of peace, security, charity, harmony, dialogue and coexistence among all Muslims, which conveys their message to the world that Islam is the religion of moderation, tolerance, coexistence, compassion and mercy as Allah Almighty says, 'And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the world'."
Sheikh Sudais underscored that Islam has fought terrorism, sectarianism and has been keen on the unity of Muslims who are advocates of welfare, security and peace to the whole world. Hence, he added, “those calls should be allowed to divide us into sects and break up the Muslim ranks into parties and groups."
Sudais said this year the pilgrims will benefit from the Third Saudi Expansion of the Grand Mosque, including the Mas'a expansion and the largest ever expansion of the Mataf area which can now accommodate nearly 107,000 pilgrims perhour. He described the expansion projects as a quantum leap presented by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the pilgrims.
Sheikh Sudais asserted the integration of the service system in the Two Holy Mosques, saying: "The presidency has deployed nearly 15,000 of its manpower to serve the pilgrims and visitors of the Grand Mosque." 
In a speech, read out on his behalf by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, member of the Council of Senior Scholars, Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh called on the Muslim scholars to educate pilgrims on the temporal and spatial sanctity of Hajj, and to inform them that this great act of worship may become corrupted by the devil as a result of a whim or lack of respect for the Hajj regulations.
The mufti also called on the pilgrims to cooperate with the authorities, who have harnessed the potentialities, developed the plans and exerted their utmost efforts to make it easier for pilgrims to perform their Hajj rituals.