Bahrain’s Information Affairs Minister Ali bin Mohammed Al-Romaihi hailed on Friday efforts by Saudi Arabia to ensure the success of the annual Hajj season every year. Its success is a source of pride for the Arab and Muslim nations, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Saudi Arabia dedicates special care for the holy sites and exerts all official and human efforts to guarantee the success of the annual rituals and provide services to pilgrims, he continued. Asked about the Qatari regime’s barring of its citizens from performing the Hajj, Romaihi replied: “The regime is keener on the participation of its sports teams in Saudi Arabia-hosted events than its people taking part in one of the main pillars of Islam.” He noted that Doha made sure that its teams took part in tournaments hosted in each of Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Manama, even using non-Qatari airlines to transport them. It went out of this way for sports events, but has prevented its people from performing the annual pilgrimage, he lamented. It has used various excuses, such as the boycott of its airline or the politicization of the Hajj, to justify the lack of Qatari pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia, he added. Such excuses will not deceive the Qatari people, who are proud of their religion, Arab identity and ties to Saudi Arabia, stressed the minister.