Fri 22 July 2022:
Following online criticism of an Israeli journalist, police in the kingdom announced on Friday that a Saudi who is accused of assisting a non-Muslim in entering the holy city of Mecca had been detained.
The journalist, Gil Tamary of Israel’s Channel 13, on Monday posted to Twitter video of himself sneaking into Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, in defiance of a ban on non-Muslims.
ISRAELI JOURNALIST TOURS MOUNT ARAFAT DURING HIS VISIT TO MAKKAH (VIDEO)
Mecca regional police have “referred a citizen” to prosecutors for alleged complicity in “transferring and facilitating the entry of a (non-Muslim) journalist”, a police spokesperson said in comments reported by the official Saudi Press Agency.
SPA did not name the journalist but said he is an American citizen, whose case has also been referred to prosecutors “to take the necessary procedures against him in accordance with the applied laws”.
An Israeli journalist has breached a total ban on non-Muslim access to Islam’s holiest site in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, sparking an online backlash. Israel’s Channel 13 News aired a report on Monday where journalist Gil Tamary drove past Masjid Al Haram and climbed the Mount Arafat. pic.twitter.com/cmEL4A5F8a
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) July 21, 2022
In his roughly 10-minute clip, Tamary visits Mount Arafat, where robed Muslim pilgrims gather to pray during the climax of the hajj pilgrimage each year.
He makes clear he knows that what he’s doing is outlawed but says he wanted to showcase “a place that is so important to our Muslim brothers and sisters”.
ISRAEL DENOUNCES TV REPORT ABOUT ISLAM’S HOLIEST SITE MECCA AS ‘STUPID AND HARMFUL’
Tamary’s defense and subsequent apology failed to appease angry Saudi online comments.
Among the critics was Mohammed Saud, a pro-Israel Saudi activist. “My dear friends in Israel, a journalist of yours entered the city of Mecca, holy to Islam, and filmed there shamelessly,” he said.
“Shame on you Channel 13, for hurting the religion of Islam like that. You are rude.”
Israel’s regional cooperation minister Esawi Freij, who is Muslim, denounced Tamary’s report as “stupid and harmful” to Israel-Gulf ties.
“It was irresponsible and damaging to air this report just for the sake of ratings,” he added.
Tamary, who was in Jeddah covering United States President Joe Biden’s visit on Friday, apologised after the online backlash saying he had not intended to offend Muslims.
“If anyone takes offence to this video, I deeply apologize,” he wrote in English on Twitter.
Disclaimer: I would like to reiterate that this visit to Mecca was not intended to offend Muslims, or any other person. If anyone takes offense to this video, I deeply apologize. The purpose of this entire endeavor was to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty
…. https://t.co/aAxipctRrG— גיל תמרי (@tamarygil) July 19, 2022
“The purpose of this entire endeavour was to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty of the religion, and in doing so, foster more religious tolerance and inclusion,” he added.
The Mount of Mercy oversees the plain of Arafat, revered as the place where the Prophet Muhammad held his last sermon 14 centuries ago.
Mecca is the most sacred place of worship for Muslims in the world, followed by the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Only Muslims are allowed to visit Mecca, while non-Muslims cannot enter. The breach of this rule can result in a fine or deportation.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations, and the kingdom does not recognise Israel as a state.
But behind the scenes, the two sides have been working together on security issues for some time.
Saudi Arabia said last week it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in a further sign that relations between the two countries are warming.
The Biden administration wants Saudi Arabia to be its own addition to the normalisation deals known as the “Abraham Accords”, a process under former President Donald Trump that saw Israel normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.\
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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