Religious Endowments Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa has warned pilgrimes against flashing political signs to avoid being deported or brought to trial in Egypt.
“May God accept this year’s pilgrimage from Muslims and I hope that it goes well,” the minister said on Thursday at Cairo International Airport as he bid farewell to the first group of pilgrims.
Saudi authorities have been adopting strict measures against political activity since the start of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2010, which led to the ouster of leaders in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, fearing it would reach Saudi.
Egypt has been regularly warning against adopting political slogans during pilgrimage for the past three years.
Edited translation from MENA
