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Holy War of Words: Growing Saudi-Iranian Tensions
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Simon Henderson - This year no Iranians will visit Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Last year, a tragic stampede killed hundreds of pilgrims, an incident in which Iran suffered more victims than any other country. This week Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared that Iranians who were injured last year were "murdered" and suggested that Saudi Arabia was not a proper custodian of the holy places. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, the country's chief cleric, responded by describing Iran's Shiite majority as "not Muslims." Anti-Shiite sentiment is common in Saudi Arabia.