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Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A pandemic of the coronavirus severely restricted access to one of the five pillars of Islam, causing one million Muslim pilgrims to reach Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Gathered in Mecca, the sacred place of.
Saudi Arabia's decision to allow approximately 850,000 foreign Muslims to make annual pilgrimages, starting Thursday, was a two-year, significantly reduced Mecca pilgrimage limited to Saudi residents. After that, it shows a big step towards normality.
The number of 1 million foreign and domestic pilgrims participating is far less than the 2.5 million Muslims who traveled for pilgrimages in 2019, and is usually the largest rally in the world. It is one. Those performing this year's ritual must be under the age of 65, vaccinated against the coronavirus, and tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of travel. Pilgrims are selected from millions of applicants through the online lottery system.
Saudi officials visited the sanctuary on Wednesday, emphasizing that they were ready to accept pilgrims for the purpose of "maintaining public health."
After the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed the participation of 1,000 pilgrims already living in the kingdom and told historians this turmoil on the site by religious extremists. He urged us to compare it to the assault and the dramatic closure of 1979.
Last year, hajj was similarly restricted to 60,000 fully vaccinated Muslims living in Saudi Arabia. The unprecedented curb sent a shock wave throughout the Islamic world, destroying many believers who had saved years for religious ceremonies.
But this year, Saudi authorities are keen to mitigate the curb of the virus. Religious pilgrimages brought $ 12 billion before the pandemic. It accounts for the largest proportion of Saudi Arabia's gross domestic product after oil.
In Saudi Arabia, virus cases are steadily increasing to over 500 per day, but the government lifted the country's indoor mask obligations and other virus precautions last month. Did. About 70% of the country is vaccinated against the virus.
The Koran states that all physically and economically competent Muslims should make a pilgrimage once in their lifetime. Pilgrims from all over the world worship Mecca for five days and perform a series of rituals.
The Mecca pilgrimage is thought to follow the route that the Prophet Muhammad walked about 1,400 years ago, following the footsteps of the Bible-named Prophets Ibrahim and Ishmael, or Abraham and Ishmael. I am.
