Saudis preventing impartial probe into Mina crush: Pundit
Press TV has conducted an interview with Kevin Barrett, an editor with the Veterans Today from Madison, and Jihad Mouracadeh, a political analyst from Beirut, to discuss calls on Saudi Arabia to apologize for the recent tragedy during the Hajj pilgrimage, which led to the deaths of hundreds of pilgrims.
Barrett emphasizes the need for an impartial international investigation into the catastrophic crush in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca. He, however, says that the monarchy in Saudi Arabia is “completely out of control” and that the regime is “not capable of allowing any such real investigation.”
So, the main cause of the crush during this year’s Hajj ritual may not be revealed by the Saudis, the political commentator maintains, adding that a variety of eyewitnesses and media outlets have reported that the culprit may have been Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, whose massive motorcade of security personnel triggered such a huge crush.
The Saudi officials “have never exercised power in a responsible manner” especially on being accountable over incidents during the Hajj pilgrimages; therefore, they are not expected to take responsibility of the recent stampede in Mina,” he argues, saying that the Riyadh regime attempts to pursue the policy of “media blackout” on the incident.
An international group should review the process of managing the most important Islamic ritual in Saudi Arabia to ensure the safety of Hajj pilgrims, Barrett proposes, adding that the pilgrimage is an Islamic event and all Muslim states are entitled to contribute to the management of the Hajj ritual.
Mouracadeh, for his part, believes Saudi Arabia is expected to apology for the mismanagement of the Hajj pilgrimage, which led to the recent human losses in Mina. He, however, notes the reasons behind the crush have not yet been determined; thus, other nations should wait for completion of an investigation into the incident.
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