The Saudi Hajj and Umrah Organization monitors the digital presence of pilgrims.
The representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Iran’s Hajj and Umrah Organization says that the Saudi government uses artificial intelligence to oversee the personal pages of pilgrims and expels those who post content on social media that the Saudis find unacceptable.
Abdulfattah Nawab, who had reported about the increase in restrictions for Iranian pilgrims about a month ago, stated on Tuesday, March 11, that one of these issues is the monitoring of Iranian pilgrims on social networks. He called on Saudi Arabia to lift the new restrictions or at least limit them to warnings and commitments.
In the year 2024, approximately 174,000 Iranians traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage.
Previously, the Saudi Arabian government had announced new regulations for those traveling to the country for the Hajj pilgrimage, which were described as strict in some areas, particularly regarding political activities.
According to these regulations, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah holds the registered Hajj and Umrah offices in the country from which pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia responsible for all matters related to foreign pilgrims.
