Hundreds of Muslim worshipers have arrived at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, western Saudi Arabia, to take part in the great annual pilgrimage starting this Saturday. For the second year in a row, an ultra-limited quota of pilgrims is admitted, due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Only 60,000 Saudis and foreigners resident in the kingdom and vaccinated were allowed to participate in the hajj. In 2020, barely ten thousand faithful had been able to perform it, at the height of health restrictions and before the race for vaccination. Far behind the some 2.5 million who came from around the world in 2019, before the pandemic, to take part in what was one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
Restrictions
This Saturday morning, hundreds of worshipers divided into small groups began to circle the Kaaba, the black cubic structure located at the heart of the Grand Mosque and which Muslims around the world turn to for prayer. This practice, called “tawaf” in Arabic, marks the beginning of the great pilgrimage, the hajj, before the official launch of the rites which will begin on Sunday.
On Saudi television channels, interviews with officials follow one another to insist on the restrictions put in place. Local media reported on Friday of workers spraying the Grand Mosque site with disinfectants. The pilgrims will be divided into groups of 20 people to “limit the spread of the virus” in case one is infected, a Saudi official, Mohammed al-Bijaoui, said on television.
“Higher levels of health precautions”
In addition to strict social distancing measures, the Hajj Ministry introduced an “electronic hajj card” allowing contactless access to campsites and hotels for pilgrims and transport to religious sites. Robots will be used to distribute sacred water bottles. Pilgrims will also not be able to touch the Kaaba.
The great pilgrimage, which takes place once a year, is one of the five pillars of Islam that Muslims must accomplish at least once in their lifetime if their health and finances permit. In early July, the Hajj ministry assured it wanted to comply with “the highest levels of health precautions” in the face of the spread of new variants. Only vaccinated residents, aged 18 to 65 and not suffering from any chronic illness, will be able to participate in the hajj this year.
Dissatisfaction
Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 500,000 infections, including more than 8,000 deaths. About 20 million doses of vaccine have been administered in this country of more than 34 million people. The hajj was held last year with the smallest number of worshipers in the modern history of this gathering – just tens of thousands. No cases of Covid were reported, as authorities put in place severe restrictions and distributed sterilized kits including disinfectants, masks, a prayer mat and an ihram, the traditional seamless white garment of the hajj.
First economy in the Arab world thanks to the export of oil, the Saudi Sunni kingdom has largely built its international aura thanks to pilgrimages, which also establish its political authority in the Muslim world. The ban on pilgrims coming from abroad for the second year in a row, supported by Islamic institutions in the Sunni world, however, caused discontent among many Muslims. The less fortunate sometimes save a lifetime to be able to pay for the important expenses of the trip to Mecca one day.