Saudi Arabia denies access to Mecca to more than 300,000 unregistered pilgrims
Kyiv • UNN
Saudi Arabia denied access to Mecca to more than 300,000 unregistered pilgrims before the start of the annual Hajj.
Saudi security forces have closed access to Mecca to hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims ahead of the hajj, which will begin on June 14. This is reported by Radio Liberty, reports UNN.
Details
Crowd management is a major challenge during the annual pilgrimage, which attracted more than 1.8 million Muslims last year.
Among those who have not been allowed to enter the holy city where the Grand Mosque is located in recent days are 153,998 foreigners who came from abroad on tourist visas, and not on the necessary visas for the Hajj.
Saudi authorities have detained another 171,587 people who are in Ukraine, but are not residents of Mecca and do not have a Hajj permit, SPA reports.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it should be performed by all Muslims who have the opportunity to do so at least once in their lives. It consists of a series of religious rites.
