In a disturbing incident that has sparked widespread outrage, Saudi security forces arrested an Egyptian pilgrim inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca after he raised the Palestinian flag beside the Kaaba and called for lifting the siege and ending the starvation in Gaza, which continues to suffer under a brutal Israeli genocide campaign.
A circulating video shows the Egyptian pilgrim emotionally shouting “Wā Islāmāh!”—a historical cry for Muslim unity—and pleading for urgent intervention to save the starving people of Gaza. Moments later, two members of the Haram security forces appear and forcibly detain him on the spot.
Not the First Incident
This is not the first such case in Saudi Arabia. Similar incidents have occurred previously, particularly during Hajj and Umrah seasons, despite repeated warnings by Saudi authorities banning the display of flags or slogans within the holy precincts of al-Haramayn (the Two Holy Mosques).
Critics argue that these bans effectively silence peaceful expressions of Muslim solidarity, especially toward Palestine, a cause that has long unified Muslims across all nations and backgrounds.
Rights Group Condemns Arrests
The Monitoring Center for Hajj and Umrah Violations strongly condemned the increasing arrests of pilgrims simply for expressing solidarity with Palestine amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
In its official statement, the organisation described such arrests as repressive and unjustified, asserting that they violate basic human rights and breach international conventions that guarantee the right to peaceful expression and moral solidarity.
The statement added:
“Detaining pilgrims for showing support to the oppressed people of Gaza is an assault on freedom of conscience and contradicts the sacred values associated with the holy sites of Islam.”
It also emphasised that ensuring the safety and dignity of all pilgrims is a fundamental duty of the authorities responsible for administering the Two Holy Mosques, and that punishing acts of solidarity with Palestine undermines the sanctity and universality of the Hajj and Umrah experience.
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