Saudi receives first foreign hajj pilgrims since before pandemic

Shehroze Aqueeque

3 years ago

Saudi Arabia welcomed its first group of hajj pilgrims.
about 2.5 million people participated in 2019, before the pandemic.
This year’s pilgrimage will be restricted to vaccinated Muslims under 65.

Saudi Arabia welcomed its first group of hajj pilgrims since the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to severely restrict the annual ritual.

The Indonesian delegation arrived in Medina and planned to travel south to Mecca in the coming weeks to prepare for the hajj next month, according to state media.

“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.

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.

The hajj ministry has announced that this year’s pilgrimage will be restricted to vaccinated Muslims under the age of 65.

Those applying for hajj visas from outside Saudi Arabia must submit a negative Covid-19 PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.