THIS year’s haj, which has been scaled back dramatically to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims due to the coronavirus pandemic, will begin on July 29, Saudi authorities said yesterday.

Some 2.5 million people usually participate in the ritual of several days, centred on the holy city of Mecca.

“The stand of pilgrims on Mount Arafat, the peak of the haj ritual, falls on Thursday,” the official Saudi Press Agency cited the supreme court as saying, indicating that Wednesday would be the first day of the annual event. 

The timing of the haj is determined by the position of the moon, in accordance with the Islamic lunar calendar.

Last month, Saudi Arabia announced it would hold a “very limited” haj, a decision fraught with political and economic peril as it battles a surge in coronavirus infections with some 253,349 cases so far, including 2,523 deaths – the highest in the Gulf.

The haj and the lesser umrah pilgrimage together usually rake in some US$12 billion (RM52 billion) per year.

Although haj officials said the pilgrimage would be restricted to 1,000 people already present in the kingdom, 70% of them foreigners, some press reports have said that 10,000 people may take part.

Saudi citizens will make up the remaining 30% of the pilgrims, with the ritual restricted to medical professionals and security personnel who have recovered from the virus, the haj ministry said.

The decision to exclude pilgrims arriving from outside Saudi Arabia is a first in the kingdom’s modern history and has sparked disappointment among Muslims worldwide, although many accepted it was necessary due to the pandemic. – AFP, July 21, 2020.