The Pakistani hajj application form – and its controversial question

Saudi Arabia has denounced Pakistan for asking Muslims to declare their sect when applying to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

An offensive question on Pakistan's hajj application form asks: "Are you Shia?" and requires applicants to answer YES or NO. (See previous blog posts here and here.)

Amid controversy on social media, Saudi Arabia's ministry of hajj has described the question as "a violation of the kingdom’s policy against sectarianism and racism", according to the Jeddah-based newspaper, Arab News.

"The kingdom does not differentiate between pilgrims according to their race, nationality, or Islamic sect," a ministry source is quoted as saying.

Last week a Pakistani newspaper, the Express Tribune, said the question had been included at the Saudi authorities' instigation, though there had been no written request. It quoted Pakistani government officials as saying: "Saudi Arabia will not entertain any hajj application from aspirants that fail[s] to specify whether the applicant is a Shia or a Sunni." 

The reason given by a senior official of Pakistan's hajj mission was fear of sectarian tensions: "Saudis do not want a repeat of the 1987 demonstrations during the hajj pilgrimage, which led to the deaths of over 400 people in Mecca," the official was quoted as saying. 

Although Pakistan is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country it is nevertheless believed to have the largest Shia population outside Iran.

The Express Tribune's story has now been deleted from its website, apparently because it wrongly claimed the "Are you Shia?" question was a new addition to this year's hajj form. In fact, it has appeared on previous forms dating back to at least 2012 and possibly earlier. 

That, of course, doesn't make the question any less objectionable and now that the Saudis have denounced it there should be no reason why the Pakistani authorities cannot remove it from their form.
   
Posted by Brian Whitaker
Tuesday, 5 May 2015