Hajj is a must for Muslims who are valid at least once in their life (File)
Riyadh:
Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it will be hosting a “very limited” hajj this year, pilgrims already in the kingdom being allowed to perform the annual ritual as it travels to curb the largest coronavirus outbreak in the Gulf. .
The move marks the first time in modern Saudi history that Muslims outside the kingdom are banned from performing hajj, which last year attracted 2.5 million pilgrims.
The decision to reduce this five-day event, scheduled for the end of July, is fraught with political and economic dangers and comes after several Muslim nations have withdrawn from the ritual which is one of the main pillars of Islam.
The kingdom’s Hajj ministry said it would be open to various nationalities already in Saudi Arabia, but did not specify a number.
“It has been decided to hold the pilgrimage this year in very limited numbers … with different nationalities in the kingdom,” said the official Saudi news agency, citing the ministry.
“This decision is made to ensure that the hajj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective … and in accordance with the teachings of Islam.”
Hajj, a must for Muslims valid at least once in their lives, could be a major source of contagion because it takes millions of pilgrims to congested religious sites.
The move comes as Saudi Arabia struggles to contain a significant spike in infections, which have now reached more than 161,000 cases – the highest in the Gulf – and more than 1,300 deaths.
But despite the increase, Saudi Arabia decided on Sunday to end the night curfew against coronaviruses across the kingdom and lift restrictions on businesses, including cinemas and other entertainment venues.
Sensitive decision
The announcement of a limited pilgrimage would likely disappoint millions of Muslim pilgrims around the world who often invest their lives and endure long waiting lists for travel.
But it would probably appease the domestic pilgrims, who feared that the ritual would be entirely canceled for the first time in recent history.
“Saudi Arabia has chosen the safest option that allows it to save face in the Muslim world while ensuring that they are not considered to endanger public health,” Umar told AFP. Karim, visiting researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
“But there are many unanswered questions: What is the exact number of pilgrims who will be allowed? What are the criteria for their selection? How many Saudis, how many non-Saudis?”
Saudi officials said the Hajj ministry will hold a press conference on Tuesday to elaborate on the details.
In an apparent attempt to give the decision a veneer of religious sanction, the Saudi-based Muslim World League said it approved the government’s decision for the health and safety of pilgrims, according to state media.
The decision is still likely to annoy extremist Muslims outside the kingdom, for whom religion prevails over health problems.
It could also prompt Saudi Arabia’s rivals to repeat the review of its custody of the holiest sites in Islam – the most powerful source of political legitimacy in the kingdom.
A series of deadly disasters over the years, including a scramble in 2015 that killed up to 2,300 worshipers, has prompted criticism of the kingdom’s management of hajj.
“Difficult year”
A watered down hajj would represent a major loss of revenue for the kingdom, which is already in shock from the two shocks of the slowdown induced by the virus and the fall in oil prices.
The year-long Umrah pilgrimage was already suspended in March.
Together, they add $ 12 billion to the Saudi economy each year, according to government figures.
“This year has been very difficult, as Saudi Arabia faces declining incomes from all sectors – oil, tourism, domestic consumption, and now umrah and hajj,” Karen Young, a researcher at ‘American Enterprise Institute.
A large-scale hajj with millions of pilgrims was unlikely after authorities advised Muslims in late March to delay preparations due to the rapid spread of the disease.
Earlier this month, Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation in the world, emerged as one of the first countries to withdraw from the pilgrimage after insisting on Riyadh for clarity. An Indonesian minister called it “a very bitter and difficult decision”.
Malaysia, Senegal and Singapore have followed suit with similar announcements.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
