Saudi king invites Iranian President Ahmadinejad to Mecca for hajj

[laststeamtrain]

Source: Haaretz/Reuters

Saudi king invites Iranian President Ahmadinejad to Mecca for hajj

The king of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia has invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend this year's hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

The invitation marks the first time an Iranian president was officially invited to take part in the annual pilgrimage, starting later this month, Iran's official IRNA news agency said.

Like other Gulf Arab states, Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia has long been wary of its large Shi'ite Muslim neighbor and shares Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "Saudi King Abdullah has formally invited President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take part in this year's hajj ceremony," Iran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Hosseini, was quoted as saying by state television.

The five-day ritual is expected to begin on Dec. 18.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=936438&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1

[Xipe Totec]

1. Now we know how they say fuck you in Arabic nt

[hollowdweller]

2. Good move. A Sunni inviting a Shiite. Good symbolic gesture for the factions in Iraq to see.