Iranians may refrain from pilgrimages to Mecca this yearApril 29, 2011 - 13:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A prominent lawmaker called for Iranians to boycott some pilgrimages to Mecca in protest at what he called Saudi support for the suppression of demonstrations in Bahrain, the official IRNA news agency said. As tensions mount between the Gulf's two most powerful countries, Mohammad-Taqi Rahbar, leader of the clerical faction in parliament, said Iranian clergy should discourage "umrah" pilgrimages, which Muslims are encouraged but not obliged to perform. All Muslims are meant to visit Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammad, at least once in their lives on a "haj" pilgrimage. The umrah, sometimes called the 'lesser pilgrimage', can be performed by individuals at any time of the year and is not compulsory, Reuters reported. "Iranians go on umrah pilgrimage while the massacre of Muslims, the destruction of mosques and the burning of the Koran are done in Bahrain by Saudi military forces. The money that Iranian Muslims spend on the umrah is used to buy weapons to massacre Bahraini Muslims," Rahbar was quoted as saying. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Politico: Belarus delivered advanced weapons to Azerbaijan in 2018-2022 Belarus delivered advanced weapons to Armenia’s enemy even though both countries were supposedly allies in a defense pact. Armenia Security Council chief to attend Ukraine peace summit Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will take part in the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland. Armenian govt. approves ratification of EAEU-Iran free trade deal At a meeting on Friday, June 14, the Armenian government approved the ratification of an EAEU free trade agreement with Iran. Deputy U.S. Secretary of State to arrive in Yerevan Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma will travel to Yerevan, Armenia from June 17-19 to. |