Over 750 Quranic Programs Held by Iran’s Noor Convoy in Hajj
Ali Qassemabadi told IQNA that the first group of members of the convoy went to Saudi Arabia on June 23 and the rest left Iran for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina afterward.
He said various Quranic programs especially Quran recitation sessions were performed by the convoy in the two cities, including in Masjid al-Haram.
Selected Quran reciters, memorizers and Tawasheeh groups from Iran are sent to Saudi Arabia during Hajj annually to perform Quranic programs there.
Every year millions of Muslims from around the world gather in the holy city of Mecca for the annual Hajj.
Iran also sends pilgrims as well as a groups of Quran activists, known as the Noor (light) Hajj Delegation.
The members of the delegation hold Quranic programs, including Quran recitation session for the pilgrims.
In 2016, Iran did not take part in Hajj after tensions between Riyadh and Tehran boiled over following a deadly crush of people during the 2015 pilgrimage.
On September 24, 2015, thousands of people lost their lives in the crush after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during a ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide.
The crush was the deadliest incident in the history of the pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the incident, but officials at Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 7,000 people, including over 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives.
Among those killed, were some members of Iran’s Quranic delegation, including Mohsen Hajihassani Kargar and Hassan Danesh.
