Al Saud getting away with murder amid world silence: Journalist

Press TV has conducted an interview with Shobhan Saxena, a journalist and political commentator from Sao Paulo, to ask for his insight on the Saudis’ attempt to dodge their responsibility after the fatal human crush during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why do you think the Saudi authorities are not being forthcoming as far as the investigation goes into the Mina stampede?

Saxena: I think because the Saudi authorities have a lot to hide. The big tragedy here is not that so many people have died, of course that’s very tragic, but the real tragedy is that there’s no accountability, Saudi Arabia has not been condemned by anyone for what has happened, their behavior had been completely reckless. And I heard a Saudi official saying on television that what happened was a fatal destiny of people who died here. But this kind of behavior cannot be accepted by the international community. But the Western countries who are so sensitive to any death in any part of the world have not condemned this kind of behavior.

And the Saudi authorities have lots to hide in this case. And now if we look at the city of Mecca, they have turned it into a Disney land. There are five star hotels and big buildings all around. And just few days before there was a big crash in the main mosque and hundreds of people died in that incident also. But Saudi Arabia is literally getting away with murder.

Press TV: Considering how Hajj takes place year after year and millions of pilgrims go there, are we to expect the same kind of negligence next year around?

Saxena: Of course, because since 1988 there have been at least five, six big incidents and thousands of people have died in Mecca in those incidents. It’s very clear that it’s beyond Saudi Arabia’s capacity and capability to organize the Hajj in a good manner. They’ve failed again and again. And since Mecca is such an important place for Muslims all over the world, for one billion plus Muslims all over the world, the arrangement, the management of this place cannot be left alone to Saudi authorities. They are simply incapable of this, but the international community is not raising this issue. and this is really tragic.

Press TV: How much of an important role could the Organization for Islamic Cooperation play in this regard?

Saxena: I don’t think they can play any role, because Saudi Arabia is just a secretive state. What happens in that country nobody knows. And they get away with murder all the time and they’re being rewarded by the Western countries now by being given the position in the United Nations Human Rights Council. They’re going to head that council. This is really shocking. I don’t know because of the petro dollar, because they have holy sites in their country, they have enormous power and nobody is going to do anything about it. But it’s time that serious questions are raised about this. If Saudi Arabia is capable of organizing the Hajj in a systematic manner, and it’s very clear they can’t, and it’s time for the international community, and especially the Muslim countries, to step in and demand a joint management of this holy place for all Muslims.

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