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10-06-2024
RIYADH/ MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia announced Saturday that security forces had removed hundreds of thousands of unauthorized pilgrims from Makkah before the upcoming annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Saudi officials have revealed that managing the crowd during Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, is a significant concern as it drew more than 1.8 million Muslims last year, media reported.
Those turned away in recent days from the holy city, home to the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba, include 153,998 foreigners who travelled from abroad on tourist visas rather than the required Hajj visas, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
In addition, Saudi authorities have rounded up 171,587 others who are based in Saudi Arabia but are not residents of Makkah and did not have Hajj permits, SPA said. The Hajj, which begins on June 14, must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims with the means and it involves a series of rituals completed over at least four days in Makkah and its surroundings in the west of Saudi Arabia.
Many seek to complete the rites through unofficial channels as obtaining the formal permits and travel packages can be extremely costly, with limited quotas for pilgrims from each country.
The latest move by Saudi officials is an effort to avoid a repeat of the 2015 stampede in Mina, near Makkah, which killed up to 2,300 people during the stoning of the devil ritual, over 1.3 million registered pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, Makkah regional authorities said on X.
Thousands of Malaysians are reportedly stranded in Madinah and Makkah after being deceived by unscrupulous agencies over haj visas, claims a pilgrimage tour company.
The company’s manager, Afiz Ayub told Harian Metro that the number of Malaysians stranded in Saudi Arabia far exceeds the 300 reported in the media.
He claimed many more people have fallen prey to agencies offering cheap haj packages priced between RM45,000 and RM60,000 per individual.
Afiz said some stranded pilgrims contacted him for help and expressed confusion and distress over not receiving the promised haj visas and wristbands.
He highlighted that elderly pilgrims were facing health issues and were being prevented by the agency from leaving their hotel rooms to seek medical treatment, fearing detention by Saudi authorities.
“Pilgrims are increasingly stressed, and their family members in Malaysia are reaching out to me for updates, worried about the safety of their relatives after reading media reports.”
It was previously reported that 300 prospective haj pilgrims in Makkah were distressed after being brought to the Holy Land with tourist visas instead of haj visas.
This situation was brought to light through a Facebook post in the Umrah DIY Forum, after a social media user shared a friend’s plea for help.
Afiz said that flights carrying Malaysian citizens to Makkah for umrah continued daily from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
However, he said Saudi Arabia’s Haj and Umrah Ministry had announced that visas for overseas pilgrims would expire after May 15.
He also said that some pilgrims had been in Makkah since Ramadan, waiting for the haj season, additionally, 60 pilgrims are stranded in Madinah without the promised haj visas,” he said.
“Last Saturday, 15 pilgrims from the Klang Valley, who were supposed to depart for the Holy Land on May 26, were advised to cancel their journey after being issued tourist visas for haj. (Int’l News Desk)
