Controversial Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, was barred by the Saudi Arabian government from performing the Hajj pilgrimage.
It was reported that Sheikh Gumi was barred from participating in the Hajj rites “due to his outspoken criticism of the Saudi Arabian ruling family, particularly regarding their handling of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.”
The Saudi Arabian authorities barred Gumi from performing the Hajj pilgrimage, deporting him upon arrival in the Kingdom.
Gumi arrived in Medina last Saturday at approximately 10:30pm aboard an Umza Air flight alongside other clerics.
However, Saudi immigration officials denied him entry at the airport, preventing him from proceeding with the religious rites.
He has returned to Nigeria.
Gumi who was among a group of clerics sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission to offer religious support during the pilgrimage, wrote on his Facebook page:
“Due to some reasons related to my views on world politics, the authorities in Saudi Arabia do not want me to be present at Hajj even though they have granted me a visa,” Gumi stated on Facebook
He arrived in Madinah on Saturday. During immigration clearance at the airport, his thumbprint failed to retrieve his biodata. As a result, he was asked to step aside. The following day, Saudi authorities informed him that he was barred from participating in the Hajj rites due to his outspoken criticism of the ruling family, particularly regarding their handling of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
