#101
The Hajj 2020 and COVID-19

A major and long anticipated announcement came on Monday this week when the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that the hajj pilgrimage in 2020 (the five-or six-day pilgrimage that starts this year at the end of July) will be restricted to a very limited number of people, with no foreigners allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for that purpose. Concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is the reason, the action justified in the interests of health and safety. The number who will be able to perform the pilgrimage has yet to be decided but could be around 1,000, all Muslims living in Saudi Arabia, in sharp contrast to the 2.5 million who travel there in a normal year.  
 
This is a far-reaching decision that affects millions of people in many world regions. Each year Muslims from all around the world travel to Saudi Arabia and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the hajj. For those who are physically and financially able to do so, the pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a sacred life milestone for Muslims (who number an estimated 1.8 billion globally). With the numbers involved, the Saudi government allocates quotas and many governments finance the pilgrimage for citizens with modest means.

The hajj is important for spiritual reasons, but it also has large social, cultural, and economic dimensions. It mixes Muslims from different countries, races, and social classes. Its importance goes far beyond the ritual itself. 

(Based on: June 23, 2020, New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, and Al Jazeera articles.)