Riyadh, Jun 17: Saudi Arabia is expected to scale back or call off this year's hajj pilgrimage for the first time in its modern history, observers say, a perilous decision as coronavirus cases spike.
Muslim nations are pressing Riyadh to give its much-delayed decision on whether the annual ritual will go ahead as scheduled in late July.
But as the kingdom negotiates a call fraught with political and economic risks in a tinderbox region, time is running out to organise logistics for one of the world's largest mass gatherings.
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.
"It's a toss-up between holding a nominal hajj and scrapping it entirely," a South Asian official in contact with Saudi hajj authorities said.
A Saudi official said: "The decision will soon be made and announced."
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 series of deadly disasters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that killed up to 2,300 worshippers, has prompted criticism of the kingdom's management of the hajj.
"Saudi Arabia is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea," Umar Karim, a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told AFP.
"The delay in announcing its decision shows it understands the political consequences of cancelling the hajj or reducing its scale."
"Buying time"
The kingdom is "buying time" as it treads cautiously, the South Asian official said.
"At the last minute if Saudi says 'we are ready to do a full hajj', (logistically) many countries will not be in a position" to participate, he said.
Amid an ongoing suspension of international flights, a reduced hajj with only local residents is a likely scenario, the official added.
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.
But it is struggling to contain the virus amid a serious spike in daily cases and deaths since authorities began easing a nationwide lockdown in late May.
In Saudi hospitals, sources say intensive care beds are fast filling up and a growing number of health workers are contracting the virus as the total number of cases has topped 130,000. Deaths surpassed 1,000 on Monday.
To counter the spike, authorities this month tightened lockdown restrictions in the city of Jeddah, gateway to the pilgrimage city of Mecca.
"Heartbroken"
"The hajj is the most important spiritual journey in the life of any Muslim, but if Saudi Arabia proceeds in this scenario it will not only exert pressure on its own health system," said Yasmine Farouk from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"It could also be widely held responsible for fanning the pandemic."
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.
"I can't help but be heartbroken -- I've been waiting for years," Indonesian civil servant Ria Taurisnawati, 37, told AFP as she sobbed.
"All my preparations were done, the clothes were ready and I got the necessary vaccination. But God has another plan."
The book written by one of the founders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1946 is now being re-issued by a Mumbai-based right-wing trust.
Comments
I'm a Christian Anglo-Saxon, and I find the idea of this book to be wonderful. For me, it is beautiful to envision Jesus kneeling down to worship Lord Shiva. It is not disrespectful to Jesus at all to believe this - it shows that he was a reverent and faithful believer. As a Christian, I can understand why the people who wrote the Bible might have wanted to cover up certain aspects of Jesus's life. I love the idea of Jesus and his followers uniting with the Indian people in a shared religious heritage.
its not fully acceptable but some of them are true in that book
To increase bjp vote banks they are trying to include Christians under their belt. Like they says jains, , buddist and sikhs are the part of Hindu religion. Which is totally wrong. No jains , budhist, Sikhs, worships Hindu gods.
Writer used to write stories for ram gopal verma. After the flop of RGV sholay remake version of Aag, writer lost his job and published books on jesus to earn money for his livelihood.
thank god he dint say bible was written by waalmiki.
If Savarkar's brother's thinking was so skewed, just imagine how skewed was Savarkar's thinking??? Bade mian tho bade mian, chotay mian subhanallah!!
Dear BABARAO
Kindly give your Script to Sanjay Lila Bansali (SLB).so that he can Make a Comedy Film base on your Script.We will recommend SLB to introduce Subramania Swami as the HERO of this Movie.
Stop playing with the feeling of Christian And Muslim Who respect Jesus Christ.It wont suite for your (RSS) Stupid Idiology.I thought some one will be there among you will certain amount of So called Common sense But where ???? All Same.
GROW UP DUDE
Yes, this is correct. Everyone in the world are Hindus as Hinduis is the only true religion. All the countries around the world were ruled by Hindu kings. white house was vishnu temple, israel knesste was Ram Mandir, Vatican was sita mandir, Bejing was capital of Shiva, tokyo was rest room of Lakshmi, Australia was ruled over by vishnu, Africa was governed by Krishna. Veer Sarkar fore father was ambassador of all the gods and he was travelling in the air without plane.
Really it was good joke... cant stop laughing...he should be awarded with Nobel Prize.... God Bless him ...
Bullet train 2000 KMH
Please don't release that book and cause one more imbalance in the community.Tired of seeing killing people in the name of 'GOD' - GOD is just a Invisible Power, nothing else other than this ,we have given him different forms and name and to relieve our mind from stress and to share thoughts n desire we created a god.Once you purge something from mind you will feel relieved.
#NoWarKnowPeace
we are in the Lent season only i can say is
\Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing\""
all the jokes in book is good and the best one is Jesus was Tamilian and his complexion was dark.....OHH brothers jesus was very fair and lovely prophet of islam.
why all chaddi leaders at last becomes mad ?
ha......ha....
Tomorrow he will say Washington was a hindu land and White house was Shiva temple.....and Obama was a Tamil Brahmin....
Please book a seat for him in Kankanady..........ha...ha...
Whatever, ultimately he proved that Brahmins were Non veg eaters, especially beef & pork. And even they can consume alcohol.
Now Subramanya swamy may link his family tree to Jesus christ.
BED TIME STORIES......
loughing of the day from RSS yeak yeak yeak
The RSS creatures spreading their wings to the community of Christians and provoking them. These unknown writers RSS have free time for frictions and fabricate. Earlier they were targeting Tajmahal as Tej Mahal, built by RSS king Tej singh. Kutub Minar built by their RSS king Shaktisena so on. And they are spreading romours that the black stone at Haram, Makkah, as Shiva Linga etc.
They have plans to rewrite the history of India for their needs, in many schools run by them are teaching hate history of India, that's the reason they are in collusion with HRD ministry do innovations.
Damm it RSS.
HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA HAA........
Help I can't stop, I think i will go to hospital, My stomach is getting pain.
HAA HAA HAA............................................HAA HAA
This book is the ultimate proof irreparable idiocy/ stupidity of RSS.
Secondly, how the publishers and printers printed it ?
This community will never improve nor succeed, they continue battling until their stupid community remain at large.
We all respect many Hindus, most of them are indeed good.
but this disproportionate venomous creatures spoiling names of good Hindus.
Indeed Hinduism has become a culture, not a religion.
Jusus Peace be upon him was Jewish, he was born in Palestine,
He has no relation whatsoever with man made religion the Hinduism. He was not Tamil, nor Brahmin,
He was miraculously born without father to his mother the Maryam may God be pleased with all of these. He was against wrong belief of plural God. Hinduism has highest number of Gods than its followers. Where as worshipping plural God is totally against true religions of God like Islam and Christianity.
bm3qd
Jesus is one of the mightiest Prophets sent by ALLAH to the face of the earth. If any Muslim does not believe in Jesus pbuh then he is not a MUSLIM.
QURAN explain on all prophetS of God:
Say (O Muslim) \We believe in ALLAH and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Ishaque, Jacob, and to Al-Asbat and that which has been given to Moses and JESUS and that which has been given to the prophets from their LORD. We make no DISTINCTION between any of them and to him we have Submitted (in ISLAM) (Quran - chapter 2 : 136)
The devils which is also a creation of ALLAH will try to claim thru LIES and DECEPTION... But ALLAH says never fear the devils and seek help from HIM. Devils are smart in LIES and Cheddis are following his agenda. which will take them together to HELL which will be eternal...
Those who support such ideology of destruction should learn about ALLAH and his creation the Shaitan from the jinns who has been FOOLING people who are far from the TRUTH>"
RSS PLEASE GIVE US BASE FOR HINDU RELIGION .,...
Hahahaha...many more things to come till Modi in throne, my dear christian brothers don't get exited. All nuts and bolts of sanghis are removed...HAHHAHHAAH
Hellow Christian bhai Wake up and Answer them...........................
how u came to know now. good u came from rss university?
Jesus is not a GOD not Hindu but He is Messenger of Allah
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