Saudi Arabia refutes rumours of barring Qatari pilgrims from entering Grand Mosque

Makkah — Saudi authorities has refuted rumours that Qatari pilgrims were barred from entering the Grand Holy Mosque.

The Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques announced on Monday that some 1,633 Qatari pilgrims have performed Umrah since June 4, Saudi Gazette reported.

The Saudi leadership has emphasisd providing all possible facilities to Umrah pilgrims from all countries including those from Qatar, the statement added.

The daily newspaper also quoted pilgrims denying the allegations that some Umrah pilgrims were being stopped from entering the Grand Mosque based on their nationalities.

Arab Rift

On June 5 , five Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Yemen and Egypt had announced their decision to cut all diplomatic relations with fellow Gulf Arab state, Qatar, for allegedly supporting terrorism and extremism.

Rumours

Earlier, AlJazeera published a claim of a Doha-based Al Sharq newspaper stating: "Saudi authorities have prevented Qatari nationals from entering the Grand Mosque in Mecca, marking a sharp escalation in the Gulf diplomatic crisis."