Tue 16 June 2020:
Just weeks ahead of the start of the haj, Kingdoms’s coronavirus cases has topped 130,000. Deaths surpassed 1,000 on Monday, amid a new surge in infections
After an easing of precautions in the kingdom in late May, the ministry said that strict measures could also soon return to Riyadh, which was “witnessing a continuous increase during the last days” of critical cases of the pandemic.
A full-scale hajj, which last year drew about 2.5 million pilgrims, appears increasingly unlikely after authorities advised Muslims in late March to defer preparations due to the fast-spreading disease.
The kingdom has said it will continue to suspend the year-round “umrah” pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina over fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading in Islam’s holiest cities.
“It’s a toss-up between holding a nominal hajj and scrapping it entirely,” a South Asian official in contact with Saudi hajj authorities told AFP.
A Saudi official told AFP: “The decision will soon be made and announced.”
Government data shows that Haj – as well as Umrah – is a major contributor to the Saudi economy, worth approximately $12 billion each year.
A separate report, from Reuters, has reported that Saudi officials are also considering drastically cutting back on the number of pilgrims allowed to enter the kingdom, with possible restrictions including a ban on elderly pilgrims and stringent health checks.
“With strict procedures, authorities think it may be possible to allow in up to 20 percent of each country’s regular quota of pilgrims,” the report added.
Officials in a number of countries – including Singapore and Indonesia – have said that their citizens would not participate in this year’s Haj, while India’s Haj committee has said that there is “little chance” of the pilgrimage occurring.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, withdrew from the pilgrimage this month after pressing Riyadh for clarity, with a minister calling it a “very bitter and difficult decision”.
Malaysia, Senegal and Singapore followed suit with similar announcements.
Many other countries with Muslim populations — from Egypt and Morocco to Turkey, Lebanon and Bulgaria — have said they are still awaiting Riyadh’s decision.
In countries like France, faith leaders have urged Muslims to “postpone” their pilgrimage plans until next year due to the prevailing risks.
The hajj, a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, represents a major potential source of contagion as it packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites.
But any decision to limit or cancel the event risks annoying Muslim hardliners for whom religion trumps health concerns.
It could also trigger renewed scrutiny of the Saudi custodianship of Islam’s holiest sites — the kingdom’s most powerful source of political legitimacy.
A decision to cancel the hajj would be a first since the kingdom was founded in 1932.
Saudi Arabia managed to hold the pilgrimage during previous outbreaks of Ebola and MERS.
A cancelled or watered-down hajj would represent a major loss of revenue for the kingdom, which is already reeling from the twin shocks of the virus-induced slowdown and a plunge in oil prices.
The smaller year-round umrah pilgrimage was already suspended in March.
Together, they add $12 billion to the Saudi economy every year, according to government figures.
A negative decision would likely disappoint millions of Muslim pilgrims around the world who often invest their life savings and endure long waiting lists to make the trip.
-with Agency
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