Thousands on Hajj at Saudi shrine
Print Edition
Tens of thousands of vaccinated Muslim pilgrims circled Islam鈥檚 holiest site in Mecca yesterday, but remained socially distanced and wore masks as the coronavirus takes its toll on the hajj for a second year running.
What once drew about 2.5 million Muslims from all walks of life from across the globe, the hajj is now almost unrecognizable in scale. The pared down hajj of this year and last due to the COVID-19 outbreak not only impacts the ability of people outside Saudi Arabia to fulfil the Islamic obligation but also the billions of dollars annually that Saudi Arabia draws from being custodian of its holy sites.
The Islamic pilgrimage lasts about five days, but traditionally Muslims begin arriving in Mecca weeks ahead of time. The hajj concludes with the Eid al-Adha celebration, marked by the distribution of meat to the poor around the world.
This year, 60,000 vaccinated Saudi citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia have been allowed to perform the hajj due to continued concerns around the spread of the coronavirus. It鈥檚 a far greater figure than last year鈥檚 largely symbolic hajj that saw fewer than 1,000 people from within the kingdom taking part.
With no clear or agreed upon standard for a vaccine passport, vaccine inoculation rates vastly uneven and new variants of the virus threatening the progress already made in some nations, it鈥檚 unclear when Saudi Arabia will play host again to the millions more Muslim pilgrims it planned to receive in years to come.
The kingdom鈥檚 Al Saud rulers have staked their legitimacy in large part on their custodianship of hajj sites, giving them a unique and powerful platform globally among Muslims. The kingdom has gone to great lengths to ensure the annual hajj continues uninterrupted.
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