The man, a Yemeni national, posted a video of himself on social media on Monday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, where non-Muslims are barred. In the clip, he held a banner that read: “Umrah for the soul of Queen Elizabeth II, we ask God to accept her in heaven and among the righteous.” The video was widely circulated on Saudi social media, with Twitter users calling for the man’s arrest. Saudi Arabia forbids pilgrims to Mecca from carrying banners or shouting slogans. While it is acceptable to perform umrah on behalf of deceased Muslims, this is not the case for non-Muslims such as the Queen, who was the supreme ruler of the Church of England, the mother church of the global Anglican Communion. Security forces at the Grand Mosque “arrested a resident of Yemeni nationality who appeared in a video clip holding a banner inside the Grand Mosque, violating urine regulations and guidelines,” a statement carried by state media late Monday said. . “He was arrested, legal action was taken against him and he was referred to the public prosecutor.” State television aired segments on the incident that included the video clip, but with the banner blurred out. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Umrah is a pilgrimage that can be performed at any time – unlike the hajj, which takes place once a year and usually attracts millions from around the world.
