Why S/Arabia stopped me from performing hajj – Gumi

Saudi Arabian authorities have barred renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, from entering the country to perform this year’s Hajj.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Sheikh Gumi revealed that although the Saudi government issued him a visa for Hajj, he was denied entry into Medina to begin his religious rites.

“For some obvious reasons, my views about world politics, the Saudi authorities are uncomfortable about my presence in the Hajj after giving me the Hajj Visa.

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“Thanks to the Nigerian authorities, who have pledged to take up the matter immediately with Saudi authorities. That is the value of our cherished freedom and democracy.

“I’m now free to attend to my health and farming activities. We should continue to pray for the safe return of all pilgrims, peace and prosperity for our dear nation,” he said in the Facebook post.

According to the BBC, Sheikh Gumi was part of the delegation of Islamic scholars sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission (NAHCON) for the pilgrimage.

Gumi reportedly arrived in Medina last Saturday at around 10:30 p.m. aboard an Umza Air flight alongside other clerics.

However, upon arrival at the city’s airport, Saudi immigration officials barred him from entering the country.

Some of Gumi’s recent comments and posts on social media have been critical of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations.

In March 2025, he shared a video on his verified Facebook page showing settlers abusing Palestinian women, and he wrote: “Israel: No respect for women, children, and human rights.”

On May 15, 2025, he also made a video in which he criticized the visit of President Donald Trump to Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.

He said: “We heard in the news that the US President invited South African whites to America over what he called genocide in South Africa against whites. But we saw him gather Arab leaders who donated millions of dollars for him to invest in his country—at a time when he was assisting Israel to kill innocent people. Even South Africa filed a complaint with the ICC, and the court was convinced by the evidence and ordered that Netanyahu be brought before it. But the Arab nations were welcoming Trump just to protect their monarchical systems of governance. They are only concerned about protecting their thrones to avoid opposition in their lands. They are all cowards.”

He added: “An Arab man can look down on any other person except the white man. They are scared of the Americans and the French. These are people who fought the Taliban for 20 years before they fled and left the country. But you, an Arab who is in control of Mecca and Medina, are afraid of them.

“Hamas a tiny group, Israel, despite its weapons and support from the US, couldn’t defeat them. Yet Hamas refused to bow to Israel’s pressure.”

On May 13, Gumi shared a video of Trump’s visit as reported by Al Jazeera English and wrote: “Trump in KSA while bombing Yemen and supporting Israel’s genocide by South African standards.”

He once told Daily Trust in an interview that “When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves. When you have two rams and you put them in opposite directions, they will definitely hurt each other. But if you make them face the same direction, they will continue their business peacefully. In America, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and people of all faiths live in one country. So why can’t that region be like a small America, where Muslims, Jews, and everyone can live in peace?”