Muslims Begin Hajj Pilgrimage

Muslim pilgrims launch the annual Hajj on Wednesday, dramatically shortened this year as Saudi hosts try to avert an epidemic of coronavirus during a five-day pilgrimage.

Hajj, one of the five foundations of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world, reports AFP.

But this year only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will partake in the ritual, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims from across the world that attended last year.

“There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but (downsizing) is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic,” said Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia’s director of public security.

Pilgrims will be expected to wear masks and follow social distinctions during a sequence of holy rituals performed over five days in the Holy City of Makkah and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.

Those selected to take part in the Hajj were exposed to temperature checks and put in quarantine when they started to plunge into Mecca on the weekend.

The state media showed that health workers were sanitizing their baggage, and some pilgrims recorded obtaining electronic wristbands to enable authorities to track their whereabouts.

Workers, holding brooms, and disinfectants, began the washing of the region surrounding the Kaaba, the building in the middle of the Grand Mosque wrapped in gold-embroidered cloth under which Muslims around the world pray.

This year, the Hajj authorities have corded off the Kaaba, stating that pilgrims will not be able to enter it, to reduce the chances of contamination.

They also reported setting up a number of health centers, mobile clinics and ambulances to cater to pilgrims.

The foreign press are barred from this year’s hajj, usually a huge global media event, as the government tightens access to Mecca.

– ‘Indescribable feeling’ –

Initially, Saudi officials claimed that only around 1,000 pilgrims residing in the country will be able to engage in the Hajj, but local media outlets claim that as many as 10,000 would be authorized to engage.

About 70% of the visitors are foreigners staying in the country, while the others will be Saudi nationals, the authorities said.

All worshippers were required to be tested for coronavirus before arriving in Mecca and will also have to quarantine after the pilgrimage as the number of cases in the kingdom nears 270,000 — one of the largest outbreaks in the Middle East.

They were given elaborate amenity kits that include sterilised pebbles for a stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the ihram, a seamless white garment worn by pilgrims, according to a hajj ministry programme document.

“I did not expect, among millions of Muslims, to be blessed with approval,” Emirati pilgrim Abdullah al-Kathiri said in a video released by the Saudi media ministry.

“It is an indescribable feeling… especially since it is my first pilgrimage.”

The hajj ministry said non-Saudi residents of the kingdom from around 160 countries competed in the online selection process but it did not say how many people applied.

Some disappointed applicants have complained that the government-run lottery was not clearly outlined and that no reason was given for their rejection.

– Economic slump –

The hajj ministry has fielded a deluge of anguished queries on Twitter from rejected applicants.

Yet Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten maintained that the mechanism was straightforward, telling Al-Arabiya TV in Saudi Arabia that "health determinants" were the basis for selection.

Given the pandemic, many tourists find it easier to partake in this year's rite without the regular giant crowds cramming into tiny holy places that render it a logistical disaster and a safety threat.

Even in a regular year, the hajj leaves pilgrims exposed to a host of illnesses.

The government has cut down the pilgrimage because it may be a big cause of contagion, but the change could exacerbate the economic slowdown of the country, experts claim.

Saudi Arabia is also experiencing a dramatic fall in oil prices owing to a slump in global demand led by national lock-ups that caused austerity initiatives, including a tripling of value added tax and reductions in civil servants' allowances.

The virus has also battered pilgrimage-reliant businesses that support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Makkah, from travel agents to street barbers and souvenir shops.

The hajj and the year-round umrah pilgrimages together rake in some $12 billion annually.