Egypt cleric slams hajj ban after Hamas blocks pilgrims

CAIRO: Egypt's leading cleric Mohamed Tantawy has condemned the blocking of Muslim pilgrims as an "abominable crime" after Hamas prevented the faithful leaving the Gaza Strip over the past four days."Whoever prevents [a Muslim from pilgrimage] is committing an abominable crime," state news agency MENA quoted him as saying on Tuesday.Egypt's government had said it would open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza starting from Saturday to allow 3,000 Palestinians to embark on the hajj pilgrimage to...