RIYADH —
Saudi Arabia said Saturday it will permit 1 million Muslims from inside
and outside the country to participate in this year's hajj, a sharp uptick
after pandemic restrictions forced two years of drastically pared-down
pilgrimages.
اضافة اعلان
The move, while falling short of reinstating normal hajj
conditions, offered hopeful news for many Muslims outside the kingdom who have
been barred from making the trip since 2019.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj must be
undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. Usually
one of the world's largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people took
part in 2019.
But after the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Saudi
authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to participate.
The following year, they upped the total to 60,000 fully
vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents chosen through a lottery.
This year the Saudi hajj ministry "has authorized 1
million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform the hajj," it said
in a pre-dawn statement Saturday.
Age cap criticized
The pilgrimage, which will take place in July, will be
limited to vaccinated Muslims under age 65, the statement said.
Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia, who must apply for
hajj visas, will this year also be required to submit a negative COVID-19
PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.
The government wants to promote pilgrims' safety "while
ensuring that the maximum number of Muslims worldwide can perform the
hajj", the statement said.
The hajj consists of a series of religious rites that are
completed over five days in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas
of western Saudi Arabia.
Authorities took a number of special measures to reduce the
spread of the coronavirus last year, including dividing pilgrims into groups of
20 and handing out disinfectants, masks and sterilized pebbles for the
"stoning of Satan" ritual.
But the relatively small crowds were distressing to Muslims
abroad.
"We have been in great sadness and pain in the past two
years because of the small number of pilgrims. The scene was horrible,"
36-year-old Cairo resident Mohamed Tamer said Saturday.
"I am very happy that the
hajj will return to normality
to some extent," he added, though he also expressed worry about rising
costs including for flights and hotels.
Reactions to Saturday's announcement were generally positive
on social media, though some Twitter users criticized the age cap.
"Such great news, but imposing age restrictions is
heartbreaking for many aged hajj aspirants," one user wrote in response to
the hajj ministry's announcement.
Others voiced concern about what would happen to pilgrims
who financed trips to Mecca — only to have their plans ruined by a positive
COVID-19 test.
Matter of prestige
Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige for Saudi rulers,
as the custodianship of Islam's holiest sites is the most powerful source of
their political legitimacy.
Before the pandemic, Muslim pilgrimages were key revenue
earners for the kingdom, bringing in some $12 billion annually.
The kingdom of approximately 34 million people has so far
recorded more than 751,000 coronavirus cases, including 9,055 deaths, according
to health ministry data.
In early March it announced the lifting of most COVID
restrictions including social distancing in public spaces and quarantine for
vaccinated arrivals, moves that were expected to facilitate an increase in
Muslim pilgrims.
The decision included suspending "social distancing
measures in all open and closed places" including mosques, while masks are
now only required in closed spaces.
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