As everyone knows, everything in the world seems to be closing down, and some of the most popular holy sites in the world are obviously no exception. According to this Al Jazeera article, “Saudi Arabia has asked Muslims to wait until there is more clarity about the coronavirus pandemic before planning to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the Minister for Hajj and Umrah said on state TV on Tuesday”. I’ve spoken on earlier blogs about the difficult decisions some countries have had to make in closing their mosques, and the difficulties other countries have faced when people have disobeyed those orders and gone to prayer anyway. I can not imagine the amount of difficulty that will be faced by the Saudi government in trying to get people to not go on the Hajj and come to see Mecca. Especially if the coronavirus stay at home and closing precautions continue into the coming months. The Saudi government is going to have an incredibly difficult time keeping people away from their holy cities in my opinion. “Some 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world usually flock to Mecca and Medina cities for the week-long ritual scheduled to begin in late July. The pilgrimage is also a significant source of income for the kingdom”. I think there is no possible way to keep that many people from trying to come, and the economic difficulties that keeping it closed will cause may cause further problems for the nation other than the health of the whole.
Categories