Hajj: an "anti-protest" clause causes controversy in Morocco

Of the 11 clauses of the commitment imposed on the pilgrims specifying obligations they must respect throughout the different stages of the accomplishment of the rituals, the third is subject to controversy. This clause obliges the pilgrim to "respect the regulations in force inside the airport, and not to demonstrate against the security and administrative procedures or in case of flight delay (specifying that the mission does not assume any responsibility for the delay)". The pilgrim is also required to "remain calm and wait, and not to cause chaos". The Saudi laws "prohibit demonstrations and riots throughout the Hajj season," recalls another clause.

Has Saudi Arabia forced the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs to adopt such a measure? Previous protests tend to confirm this hypothesis. In June 2023, Ahmed Taoufiq’s department had, in a letter addressed to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, deplored the reception conditions of Moroccan pilgrims, in Mina, in particular "the reduction of the area of the tents which caused significant congestion", as well as "the lack of mattresses reserved for the pilgrims".