Mecca

Normalization with Saudi Arabia cannot begin while Mecca broadcasts antisemitic hate - editorial

In a weekly sermon delivered at Mecca two days before the Bondi Beach terror attack the preacher called on God to punish the Jews and portrayed Israel as a cruel “Zionist enemy."

|ByJPOST EDITORIAL
Muslims perform their evening prayers around the holy Kaaba as they start arriving to perform the annual Haj in the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 16, 2023.
A HEAD PRIEST delivers eid sermon during Eid al-Adha prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, India, on June 7, 2025.

Normalization? The Mecca sermon no one in the West wants to hear - opinion

Two days before the horrific terror attack in Sydney, the designated weekly preacher in Mecca delivered a sermon that was openly antisemitic, anti-Jewish, and anti-Israel.

|ByEDY COHEN
Saudi security forces train in preparation for the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July 3, 2022.

Saudi Arabia executes two people for plotting attacks on places of worship

The two men also planned attacks against security facilities and personnel, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, citing a statement from the interior ministry.

|ByREUTERS
Muslims perform their evening prayers around the holy Kaaba as they start arriving to perform the annual Haj in the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 16, 2023.

Saudi authorities release Iranian cleric arrested for bad mouthing Kingdom, Sunnah

Iranian cleric Ghasemian was arrested in Mecca for insulting Saudi Arabia but was quickly released and returned to Iran before completing Hajj. Both countries downplayed the incident.

|ByOHAD MERLIN

Voices From The Arab Press: IRAN’S QUEST FOR REGIONAL DOMINATION

The mullahs might try to placate the West, but their objective remains consistent.

JUNE 5, 2019ByMEDIA LINE
IRANIAN PILGRIMS arrive for the annual haj pilgrimage, in Arafat outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2017.

Regional crossroads

One way to read the Mecca statement is paying lip service to the Palestinian cause and the Jerusalem issue without doing anything.

JUNE 2, 2019ByJPOST EDITORIAL
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before the start of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia April 15, 2018

Swarm of locusts darkens skies of Saudia Arabia

The infestation started on Sunday, when masses of the insect were reported to have come from Sudan and Eritrea following unusually heavy rainfall in the region.

MAY 2, 2019ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A locust is held by Israeli researcher at the Department of Zoology at Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Life Sciences December 22, 2015. Israeli researchers have developed a high-jumping locust lookalike robot that they hope could one day replace humans in military or search-and-rescue operations. P

IDF prepares for crossing of 10,000 Palestinians through Jordan to Mecca

"I am pleased to announce that we are prepared to welcome the pilgrims to the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca," stated Khatib.

DECEMBER 31, 2018ByCASSANDRA GOMES-HOCHBERG
Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque ahead of annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 16, 2018

Muslims at hajj blame Arab disunity for Jerusalem embassy move

The status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions - is one of the biggest obstacles to any peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

AUGUST 20, 2018ByREUTERS
Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque ahead of annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 16, 2018

Muslim pilgrims flock to Mecca ahead of hajj

Every able-bodied Muslim who has the means should perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime under a quota system.

AUGUST 19, 2018ByREUTERS
A muslim pilgrim takes a video with his mobile phone while others circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque ahead of annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 16, 2018

Voices from the Arab press: A Saudi overhaul of the pilgrimage process

A selection of stories from the Arab press this week.

JUNE 7, 2018ByMEDIA LINE
THE GREAT Mosque during Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2007