Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The political leader and Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, called on visitors wishing to visit Iraq, and he singled them out for the Iranians, as part of the “Forty visit” to abide by the laws in force in Iraq and not to be treated as “hosts,” citing the way it deals By Saudi Arabia and countries that embrace sacred sites with visitors.
Al-Sadr said in a long statement posted on his official Twitter page: “The laws of this country must be adhered to in all visits to shrines and others, and it is here to mention (the forty visit) on the twentieth of Safar al-Khair,” he said.
The Iraqi cleric continued, “Here we also call upon everyone to abide by this, and we especially mention the Iranian brothers as they are the most numerous, so welcome to all the guests, and we Iraqis are obligated to host and honor them with all their nationalities, as long as they adhere to the organization, general rules, and the law established in Iraq.”
Al-Sadr indicated that the host is obligated to respect his guest, while the guest should not “turn into a host,” and added: “As we are guests when we visit their country, the diplomatic and moral dealings should be similar for both parties who are bound by the laws.”
The Iraqi cleric called on the guests to “enter a high-level organization, with an official permission and passport, and to respect the competent authorities, the security forces, the applicable laws and respect the host country.”
Al-Sadr stressed that Iraq is not obligated to enter more than its capacity of pilgrims and demanded visitors to “commit to health prevention and hygiene in clothing, food, and housing,” and demanded the security forces to control checkpoints alone without interference from the popular crowd, Saraya or other armed factions.
The Iraqi cleric called on everyone to cooperate with the security men and not to raise “partisan, militia, or even crowded, or current (Al-Sadr’s) slogans, in order to preserve the safety of visitors, guests, and holy places,” he said.
Al-Sadr cited the laws set by Saudi Arabia in organizing the Hajj, saying: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hastened to organize the numbers, group them in and out, and enact special laws for the Hajj. These laws were not stipulated except that they must be in accordance with Sharia first and last.” Those wishing to perform religious rituals must abide by the laws of the countries that contain the holy sites.
