Three American Shia pilgrims of Hajj were released after a 12-day detention in Saudi Arabia, and returned safely to their homes, according to a statement by Al Baqee Organization.
Sajjad Lakhani, I. Bader, and Dr. Shafeeq Bader were part of a religious caravan visiting the sacred sites in the city of Medina during the last week of April, 2023.
“They were taken into detention from Masjid-al-Nabawi after Isha prayers without any reason or suspicion,” the statement adds.
“We were detained because of the T-shirts we wore,” says Shafeeq Bader, referring to the black T-shirts bearing the name of Imam Hassan (peace be upon him), which they wore while visiting the Imams of Baqi as a sign of grief.
He attributes their release to the grace of Allah and the power of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), noting that, otherwise, they would have been detained for a very long time and punished severely.
It should be mentioned that al-Baqi cemetery was destroyed be Extremist Sunni Wahhabis a century ago, but continues to be visited by Shia devotees of Ahlul-Bayt who yearn the rebuilding of this holy site.
