The governor of Makkah province, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, on Sunday asked global media to convey a message from the two million pilgrims who attended Hajj that Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance.
In remarks reported by the official Saudi Press Agency, he stressed the kingdom's "absolute rejection" of exploiting the Hajj for political or economic purposes and said Saudi Arabia strived to provide "all possible assistance" to meet the religious needs of pilgrims.
He said some Iranian pilgrims had "[attempted] to raise sectarian and political slogans in the Grand Mosque".
"We beg everybody [who comes] to come for Hajj and worship only because this is a land of worship," the prince added.
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It came a day after Saudi officials said they were satisfied that this year's Hajj had passed without any security incidents or accidents.
Prince Khalid said the numbers attending this year's Hajj had risen by 30 per cent and announced plans for the development of Makkah's holy sites in order to accommodate increasing numbers of pilgrims. More information about this would be announced in a timely manner, he added.
