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."
Comments
RIKAZ,
Already done, i have done my computer course.
And what do you think, how i am replying to you, its through computer.
Satyameva jayate.
You have a sick mind. Just read what you have written.
I dont think you will understand anything if i reply.
If you are so concerned about kashmir or china, pls go ahead and do it yourself dont give advise to others.
PONDER, have u read properly, now here it is,
Rigveda 10/85/13- cows are slaughterd.. is misconception. The actual meaning is The word used for sun-rays is \GO\" which also means cow and hence a mantra can also be translated by making 'COW\" and not sun-rays as subject.the word WEAKENED is \"Hanyate\" which can also mean killing. The mantra states the rays get weakened in winter and get strong again in spring. How can cow that get killed in winter gain strength in spring. This proves that the reader of the vedas should have good intelligence and wisdom to understand. Otherwise people will misunderstand just like you did. Same for all other points you mentioned."
SURESH U need to do some homework, not to reply but to UNDERSTAND... please go thru below verses from your scriptures specially the last one.
Maharishi Yagyavalkya says in Shapath Brahmin (3/1/2/21) that : I EAT BEEF cos it is very soft and delicious.
Apastamb Grihsutram (1/3/10) says : The COW should be slaughtered on the arrival of Guest, on the occasion of Shraddha of ancestors and on the occasion of Marriage.
RIGVEDA (10/85/13) declares On the occasion of a girl's marriage Oxen and COWS are Slaughtered
RIGVED (6/17/1) STATES the INDRA used to EAT the meat of COW, calf, horse and buffalo.
Vashista Dharmasutra (11/34) writes, If a BRAHMIN refuses to EAT a meat offered to him on the occasion of SHRADDHA or worship HE GOES to HELL>
Suresh, you need to learn some logic.....I suggest you to join some computer programming course....
Suresh........how many cows you have at home...as per your comments also send some cows to borders of Kashmir and China...some to clean gangas and others RSS bhakta to bring go moorhra to wash their sick minds......
Which century are you living in......and where did you get your GO history from...
Rikaz,
What i have mentioned one full paragraph is fact.
what you are saying is called illusion (maya)
You will never understand that.
Just like a blind cannot see the world around him, same way you cannot understand Maya (illusion) ignorance. You have to rise high from Kg class teaching.
Mr. Suresh, its a fact man, you like it or not....I know very well that you know it...but you don't want to admit it.....right....
Rikaz,
Your are a really a funny man and your comments are so immatured.
I dont understand, Whats is wrong and what is supersition.
I am not supporting the beating of people, its wrong,
I was just giving the importance of cow for Hindus.
Suresh, you are still believing in superstition in this 21st century, so sad!
Tell us how many houses have been ruined because of your theory...none...
All rivers were flowing in same place....no body done anything for it....its natures creation.....totally rubbish....
cow is a kind of animals....its not a god...it cannot save itself from any disaster....you and your own people don't care them at all, you will find a lot of them in the road sides like orphans...no one put any grass on it....instead it eats plastic and sometime later dies....reason you don't care them and don't put any food for it....common its your god man treat it nicely....
Once Gautam Maharishi was meditating and a holy cow maya denu entered his abode and started spoiling the rice in his farm. Knowing cow shall not be treated harshly he put the Darba grass on the cow and to his surprise the cow fell dead. The other rishis present said that Gautam maharishi has done a Gau hatya a grave sin. To atone the sin of Go hatya, (killing a sacred cow), he went to Nasik & did severe Tapas to lord Shiva at Trimbakeshwar on advise of other rishis. When lord shiva was pleased with his Tapas, Gautam rishi requested lord shiva to release him from the sin by making the river Ganga flow over the dead cow. Thus Lord shiva diverted the river Ganga to flow over the cow. Thus River Go-davari was born in Nashik and merge with bay of bengal.
Cow is so holy that, if you build your house on the plot of land where cows put their holy feet for grazing, or where there was a cow shed, building a house in such a plot is very very auspicious.
After a house in built the first day of house warming cermony a holy cow is first made to enter the house in this way all the evil and negative energy in the newly built house is cleared off.
If a person is suffering badly in health or work front they are advised to feed cows, by doing this the creator is satisfied and he relieves the person from his sufferings.
Cow- urine or Go-mutra is so auspicious that if you sprinkle it on the possessed people, or inauspicious places where there is negative energies accumulated, the place becomes pure and positive again.
1857 first war of Independence broke out - cow was the reason.
This cow story made citizens sick and tired....there is no god in cow or any animal kind....what the hell these vigilantes doing around....if dalits want to live peacefully they should convert to Islam....that is where they get their due respect from society....In Islam there wont be any upper caste and lower caste....they will be treated properly with respect in the society....
Its a BIG INSULT to the PM ...
Cheddi gangs ignored .... him badly.
The PM should show his power to stop it rather than saying killing me before killing the dalits...
He said, Fake Gau Rakshaks are dividing the nation,
Then what the real Gau Rakshaks are doing??????
He further says, \Hit me and do not hit Dalits\", means he can not control those who want to HIT????
Why is he concerned about Dalits when other communities also have been terrorized by so called Gau Rakshaks? Others are not humans or Indians? Or he is only concerned about \"Vote Bank\"???"
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