A delegation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in India, headed by Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani, left for a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia in an unusual show of diplomatic grace. Middle East Eye reports that when the party was allowed entry to the Muslim holy city of Madina, which includes the Prophet’s [PBUH] Mosque, their focus on bolstering bilateral relations took a historic turn.
Irani posted a collage of photos from the trip on her X handle, writing, “Today, I embarked on a historic journey to Madina, one of the holiest towns in Islam. included a visit to the peak of Uhud, the Quba Mosque (the earliest mosque in Islam), and the surroundings of the venerated Prophet’s mosque, Al Masjid Al Nabwi. The importance of Saudi officials’ visit to these locations, which is entwined with the early history of Islam, highlights the breadth of our spiritual and cultural exchange.”
Undertook a historic journey to Madinah today, one of Islam’s holiest cities included a visit to the periphery of the revered Prophet’s Mosque, Al Masjid Al Nabwi, the mountain of Uhud, and periphery of the Quba Mosque – the first Mosque of Islam. The significance of the visit to… pic.twitter.com/WgbUJeJTLv
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) January 8, 2024
Outside the boundaries of the Prophet Muhammad’s [PBUH] Mosque, also known as Masjid Nabwi, Madina, which is home to the prophet’s [PBUH] final resting place, is typically off-limits to non-Muslim dignitaries. But this is the first time that a non-Muslim delegation has been granted diplomatic access to a place that Muslims revere and that is not usually thought of as a tourist attraction.
According to Irani, the main goal of the trip is to improve Saudi Arabia-Indian ties on a bilateral level while learning a great deal about the preparations needed for the upcoming Hajj journey. The visit comes after Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah, the Saudi and Iranian Ministers of Hajj, signed the 2024 Bilateral Haj Agreement on January 7.
India has been allocated a quota of 175,025 pilgrims for the current Hajj trip, according to the bilateral agreement, which highlights the importance of the diplomatic ties between the two countries. Irani posted on social media to thank Saudi Arabia and India for the chance, calling the visit a “historic journey” that demonstrates the two countries’ longstanding spiritual and cultural ties.
Irani made the most of his tour by meeting with business experts from Saudi Arabia and India, accompanied by high-ranking officials such as the Minister of External Affairs. The goal of the talks was to investigate potential for investment and promote closer ties between the two nations. An official spokesperson emphasized the uniqueness of this visit by pointing out that it was the first time a non-Muslim delegation had been received in Madina, highlighting the remarkable bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and India.
It’s important to understand that non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Makkah and some areas of Madina. Violators risk fines or even deportation. Non-Muslims are not allowed to visit the holy sites in Makkah due to strict enforcement of documentation checks before entry.
The fifth pillar of Islam is the yearly Hajj trip, which is a core component of the religion. While almost 2.5 million people made the Hajj in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic in the world caused restrictions in the years that followed. The BJP delegation’s visit to Madina is a landmark diplomatic achievement that establishes a new standard for non-Muslim interaction with Saudi Arabia’s historically holy places.
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