A Yemeni individual who claimed to be performing Umrah on behalf of the late British Queen Elizabeth II has been detained by Saudi law enforcement officials.
On social media, the individual had uploaded a video of himself in Makkah’s Masjid al-Haram.
The clip was extensively shared on Twitter, prompting Saudi users to call for the man’s arrest. He was seen in the video waving a banner that read, “Umrah for the soul of Queen Elizabeth II, we pray God to welcome her in heaven and among the righteous.”
#Mecca: A #Yemenite pilgrim dedicated his "Umrah" to Queen Elizabeth and was arrested
Arab media reports that a Muslim pilgrim from Yemen who came to Mecca to perform the "Umrah" (pilgrimage to Mecca that is not during the Hajj) decided to dedicate it to the… (1/2) pic.twitter.com/8uY4WTYqBT
— AbuAliEnglish (@AbuAliEnglishB1) September 13, 2022
Non-Muslims are not allowed in the holy city, let alone to undertake Hajj or Umrah, however they may do so in memory of Muslims who have passed away.
On the other hand, this is not the case for non-Muslims like the late Queen, who served as the head of the Church of England, the global Anglican communion’s mother church. The state media confirmed the arrest through a statement on Monday, stating that the man was arrested for “violating the regulations and instructions for umrah” and that he was referred to the public prosecution. Saudi Arabia also forbids pilgrims from carrying banners or chanting slogans in sacred locations. The banner in the video was hazy because of the incident’s state TV broadcasts.
