Iran bans Sunni cleric from performing Hajj

People stage a protest against the burning a copy of the Quran in Sweden after performing Friday prayer at Imam Khomeini Mosque, in Tehran, Iran on January 27, 2023 [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s security agencies have banned Molavi Abdulhamid, the revered Sunni cleric, from leaving the country for a planned Hajj pilgrimage to Islam’s holy places in Saudi Arabia, Iranwire reports.

According to the report, a statement issued by Molavi Abdulhamid’s office revealed on 14 June that the prominent Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, had already prepared for his pilgrimage journey.

The ban was imposed based on pronouncements made by specific officials within the Ministry of Intelligence, the statement says.

The 76-year-old cleric has emerged as a prominent voice of dissent within Iran, particularly since the eruption of nationwide protests in September 2022. These protests have been marked by calls for substantial economic, social and political reforms.

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