Iranian pilgrims chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel' during the annual 'Disavowal of Polytheists' ceremony held on Thursday in the plain of Arafat in Saudi Arabia, Iranian media reported. The ceremony, a concept mooted by Ayatollah Khomeini four decades ago, is a ritual that has become a political platform of Iran in Hajj.
The ritual, now part of Iran’s official Hajj programme, endorses dissociation from domination and treaties with polytheists. It is held inside tents marked for Iranians. The ceremony held on Thursday saw Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia and the country’s top Hajj representative attend it.
Participants carried placards with slogans such as "Al-Quds is ours" and "Israel is absolute evil." Some of them raised banners portraying slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's raised finger along with his famous quote: "We will prevail."
Other slogans raised include "America is the enemy of God", "O Muslims, unite, unite", and "Gaza is drenched in blood" filled the atmosphere of Arafat.
According to reports from Iranian media, the tent of the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran in Arafat reached full capacity before the official start of the ceremony, forcing many to set up temporary canopies to participate in the event.
Interestingly, these statements are against the official rules of the Saudi government which prohibits any political stance during the Hajj rituals.
History of 'Disavowal of Polytheists'
The 'Disavowal of Polytheists' is a politically symbolic ritual which denounces Western powers which Iran considers as "oppressors." The chant “Death to America” has been a staple of the ceremony since it was first introduced after the 1979 revolution with a message from Ayatollah Khomeini.
The Ayatollah considered this ceremony complementary to Hajj and believed that Hajj without Disavowal lacks the "political spirit of Islam."
However, Saudi authorities have been opposed to the ceremony as they want the pilgrimage free from political symbolism. The dispute turned bloody in 1987 when a march of Iranian pilgrims was confronted with repression by Saudi security forces. Called the '1987 Mecca incident', the event resulted in the deaths of over 400 people and thousands of injuries. This resulted in escalated tensions between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.
