RIYADH —
Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed its first batch of hajj pilgrims since before the
coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual
ritual.
اضافة اعلان
The group from Indonesia landed in the city of
Medina and was set to travel south to the holy city of
Mecca in the coming
weeks to prepare for the hajj next month, state media reported.
“Today we received the first group of this
year’s pilgrims from Indonesia, and the flights will continue from Malaysia and
India,” Mohammed Al-Bijawi of the country’s Hajj Ministry told the state-run
Al-Ekhbariya channel.
“Today we are happy to receive the guests of
God from outside the kingdom, after a two-year interruption due to the
pandemic,” he added, describing Saudi Arabia as “fully prepared” to accommodate
them.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj
must be undertaken by all
Muslims who have the means at least once in their
lives. Usually, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million
people participated in 2019.
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.
But after the onset of the pandemic in 2020,
Saudi authorities announced they would only let 1,000 pilgrims take part. The
following year, they increased the total to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi
citizens and residents chosen through a lottery. Barring overseas pilgrims
caused deep disappointment among Muslims worldwide, who typically save for
years to take part.
In April, the kingdom announced it would
permit one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate
in this year’s hajj, which will take place in July.
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. 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 major revenue
earners for the kingdom, bringing in about $12 billion annually. This year’s
pilgrimage will be limited to vaccinated Muslims under age 65, the hajj
ministry has said. Those coming from outside Saudi Arabia, who must apply for
hajj visas, are required to submit a negative
COVID–19 PCR result from a test
taken within 72 hours of travel.
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