This year’s Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place in the shadow of Israel’s siege of Gaza, has drawn hundreds of thousands of Muslims to the Saudi holy city of Makkah.
Friday marks the official start of one of the biggest yearly Islamic gatherings in the world, and Saudi officials are attempting to maintain the emphasis on prayers.
Tawfiq al-Rabiah, the minister of the Gulf state in charge of religious pilgrimages, issued a warning last week, saying that “no political activity” will be allowed.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj, requires all Muslims who have the means to perform it at least once. As of Thursday, about 1.2 million pilgrims have flown in from overseas to participate in the Hajj.
More than 1.8 million individuals finished the multi-day Hajj rituals last year. Official data indicate that almost 90% came from abroad, mostly from Asia and other Arab countries.
Umer Karim, a University of Birmingham expert on Saudi politics, said that Israel’s military actions against Hamas fighters in Gaza had “created a lot of anger in (the) broader Muslim world,” making this year’s Hajj a “test” for Saudi officials.
“Protest or performance is bound to happen by individuals or groups of pilgrims, and Saudis understand this is a slippery slope,” he stated. “Thus for Saudi rulers conducting Hajj is a matter of prestige but also a test of their governance.”
Politics of pilgrimage
At least 37,164 people have died as a result of the Israeli army’s catastrophic attack in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were civilians, according to information from the Hamas-led Gaza government’s health ministry.
Although Saudi Arabia has never recognized Israel, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, was thinking about establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel before to the incident on October 7.
Saudi authorities and US officials are still in negotiations on a purported “mega-deal” that would see Riyadh recognize Israel in return for closer security ties with Washington.
Saudi authorities, who have long opposed Israel, have asserted that “irrevocable” steps toward the recognition of a Palestinian state are necessary before any relations with Israel can be established.
2,000 Palestinian pilgrims will be entertained this year after Saudi King Salman’s proclamation on Monday to host 1,000 pilgrims “from the families of martyrs and the wounded from the Gaza Strip” was released, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
For Saudi monarchs, the Hajj provides legitimacy, and King Salman has the title of “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Makkah and Madinah.
However, Madawi al-Rasheed, a Saudi academic and opposition figure living in London, claimed that the Saudi government also “uses the pilgrimage to control Muslims worldwide” because it has the ability to prevent detractors from carrying out a necessary religious rite.
“In order to stop any mobilization around sympathy for Gaza, the Saudis will tighten their grip on the pilgrims. It is unclear if the pilgrims will abide by Saudi directives.”
Fears of heat
This year, the religious ceremonies in Makkah and its environs take place in the midst of the scorching Saudi summer, when officials predict average high temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to Saudi authorities, almost 2,000 individuals experienced heat stress last year, which can include heatstroke, tiredness, cramps, and rashes.
Due to the fact that many patients were not admitted to clinics or hospitals, the actual number was likely far higher.
Entire congregations of worshippers have already descended upon Makkah to start circling the Holy Kaaba, the massive black cube located in the Grand Mosque of Makkah that is the focal point of all Muslim prayers.
In the past, large gatherings during the Hajj have proven dangerous; the deadliest Hajj tragedy occurred in 2015 when a stampede occurred during the “stoning the devil” ritual in Mina, near Makkah, killing up to 2,300 people.
According to Princeton University expert on Saudi affairs Bernard Haykel, organizing the event has been “a logistical achievement,” with heavy surveillance and monitoring in place for both security and health reasons.
Saudi Arabia benefits financially from pilgrimages to Makkah, which bring in billions of dollars as the nation, which is the largest crude oil exporter in the world, works to expand its tourism industry.
Thirty million people are expected to do the Hajj and Umrah by 2030. Umrah, which is a year-round pilgrimage, attracted 13.5 million worshippers in 2018.
