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."
"Female foeticide is a sin. So what if the sinner is a Hindu. My government has taken a number of steps (to stop this practice). Daughters, mothers, sisters should be protected. One should not consider religion. Mothers and sisters should be respected. We have raised the issue firmly.
Comments
@boppanna
At least our prophet married and kept her as a wife........dint leave her in forest after doubting the birth of own wife like the character RAma did in Ramayana after bringing sita from ravana Lanka..... a god doubting own wife....come on..
it is CD Team responsibility to track his record, details and handover to authorised people.
he don't have that much dare to sit at KSA and bark. May be jobless and gossiping with ladies. May be sitting somewhere in slum area and kept family away..
CD Team, please we hereby request you to handover this comments of bopanna and track his comments through which website/location he used and handover to authorised people for further action.
thanks u
@Bopanna KSA
By giving that statement. Don't think u will get away from KSA Govt.
Ur each and every statement might be monitoring. So be careful. rest of ur life might be in jail.
@boppanna
If KSA Comes to know and track u. Then u will be in trouble. They might hang u.
So be careful. Before commenting read the history. U will cry in tears.
Can't allow Muslim woman to suffer...... but can allow rapes ...murders ..and attack on Muslim women in communal violence...specially in Gujarat. And other women of India suffering from liquor drunk husband's and murders...... can allow tobacco products killing their husbands from cancer......can you ban this if you have guts...? Nuts will come in mouth
bopanna
don't take any messengers of Allah's name to insult..you may face disaster soon so be careful and think about your family..
If you want to know about reason why PROPHET MUHAMMED SALLAHU ALAIHIWA SALLAM married HAZRAT AYESHA RADIYALLAHU ANHA, study the history, reason etc. if not send me your email details will share the link so that you can go through it to get better treatment. Also study about his all marriages and realise what you uttered..
your LORD KRISHNA, why he married countless women? have you gone through it? their ages and reasons? leave it ..just look back the profile of your forefathers and study which is more than enough for you to understand and get proper right knowledge..
Just read news about Mohammad Aslam who is a follower of religion of peace .....
Showing his \mardaangi\""
# 25 Bopanna
Bopaana 100% sure you are not born Halal, any way you are the resident of Hell, Like Abu Jahal, Wait for your miss deed speaking ill about Our Holy Prophet Saws, Now Allah will Decree his punishment !
Sooner or Later !
You jokers are complaining about Modi ? Let's start talking about your \Prophet\" - what age was he when he married Aisha ?
He was 53 and Aisha was 6 ! What do you call that behavior ?
Do Kaudi ka Dimaag naheen hai aur sikhane chale aye ..."
Wish he would have realised when he released Babu Bajrangi from jail (who slit wombs of women and killed women & Feotus)
U ruined ur wife's life and career by not giving talaq in young days. And never stayed with her.
Feels sorry for ur wife.
PM Modi is concerned about muslim women..he is not concerned about his own wife...He killed more than 3000 muslims. He is simply implementing RSS agenda...we are now in end times. there will be a big disaster in the world. nobody might have seen and heard that kind of man made disaster...may allah protect our emaan....Ameen.
Super basavaraj ...entha comment ...superb kanree....yelli rikacha and faizal bhai message illa ...mostly burqa hudukta irbeku Mangalore rally nalli participate madlikke .. Yesterday a Hindu gal was brutally raped for more than 20 days in shimoga ...all are perfect manual followers. Haha ....in that many were madrasa students who perfected Quran and ejected for 50 days ... This shows how this third rated jihadis treat women ....yelree faizhal Bhai banreee Johnny walker haakistini banree. ...
What a drama PM! You could have got job in movies! ANSWER US ABOUT KASHMIR! His party along with media is deviating the current heated crisis of kashmir because you dont have a SOLUTION! WE MUSLIM WOMEN ARE VERY SAFE BECAUSE OF THE RIGHTS OUR RELIGION HAS GIVEN US & he needn't show us any pity..if he really want to help us..WE ARE ACTUALLY struggling for RIGHTS TO WEAR HIJAB..ALLOW US!
Modi is the perfect follower of Rama. He threw his wife into fire, she came unhurt, he drove her to the forest, she bore two children, he tried to kill her children, he lost the fight, finally he forced his wife to commit suicide. Modi driven his wife out as she was not beautiful, he neither divorced nor accepted her as his wife - a Trishanku Naraka (hell life in this world) a gift for his wife. what we can expect from a person who cant be a MAN to his wife. Old man's crocodile tears and monkey joke! Laugh loudly!!
Narendra Modi,
Yes Muslim's are well aware of Jews n their policy. And their interaction behind Muslims. Even Jews know very well they cannot come over Islam . You rss just now started hold Jews tail n starred to call jew community as your father. Remember you even don't know how they will remove u all from the universe. So it is better to follow Jews training n not to play with Islam religion.
Jai Hind!
Narendra Mode,
Yes Muslim's are well aware of Jews n their policy. And their intration behind Muslims. Even Jews know very well they cannot come over Islam . You rss just now started hold Jews tail n starred to call jew community as your father. Remembe you even don't know how they will remove u all from the universe. So it is better to follow Jews training n not to play with Islam religion.
Jai Hind!
Dis guy has no ability of looking after his own wife and protecting her. Now duniya badalne chala g...du
Any comments on ua own Wife???
Dear Modiji
When you was the CM of Gujarath how many lives of muslim women you have destroyed in the riots
Dear Modi Ji.
Kindly take a decision about your own one and only Wife Jashoda ben. Please humble request.
When our honorable PM was the CM of Gujarat hundreds of mothers,sisters and teenage girls raped and tortured publicly. That time he did't show any respect and justice to the victim of Muslim women's and culprits are not punished. Now he is acting crocodile tears in the name of protection and justice to Muslim Women. He is fooling the Muslim community.
@ #9 Basavaraja is very Familiar with CAT WALK.
Yesterday there was a rally in UP ...nearly 75% participants were women ...but it was not the case. . Madrasa students and mullahs took their wives burkha and participated in rally ..by looking at their cat walk we could make out
Really interesting. Jashodhaben's life also is ruined by triple RTI talaq.
Sirji, pehle hamara problem solve karo. Baadme beary yonka peeche jao. Come on yaar...Mardangi dikhao...
Where were u mr modi when Muslim pregnant women's were being killed during anti Muslim genocide in gujarath 2002 by ur bjp and bajrang dal activists?
What about joshadabein. Both are One And the same.
Now ur worried. Where were u when Muslim girls where murdered during Gujarati riots.
First look at your wife.
you ruined your wife.
Real Muslims never ruin their women.
first u think about your wife, other women will be fine.
Thanks coastaldigest for remembering his life's love story.
first think about your wife she wasted her precious time of her life. then think about other women's.
Modi loves selfie......he has his wife in Gujrath....he even did not give single talak her....ignoring her.....
Muslims wont agree about his formula....he has to listen to all ulemas.....they will give him a best suggestion.....
Modi is ignorant about Islamic way of life.....
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