The death of 1,300 pilgrims and criticism of Saudi Arabia’s performance in Hajj administration

Saudi Arabia, after publishing numerous reports about the death of a large number of pilgrims from Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Maghreb, Jordan, etc., finally announced the other day that 1300 pilgrims lost their lives during this year’s Hajj ceremony. They have given. stated: 1301 pilgrims died in this year’s Hajj ceremony, 85% of them were from the same country and did not have the necessary permission to attend this ceremony. This news agency further claimed that traveling a long distance under the sun and without shelter was the main reason for the death of these pilgrims.

The official Saudi news agency refused to clearly state the name of this country, but two days ago, an Arab diplomat told AFP that 658 Egyptian pilgrims died during this year’s Hajj. have given up The high number of Hajj victims in Egypt has caused widespread reactions in this country to the extent that 14 Egyptian companies active in the field of Hajj were closed. In a report, French newspaper Le Monde discussed the issue of this year’s Hajj victims and wrote: 136 Indonesian pilgrims were among the dead, which has provoked serious criticism in this country.

In addition to this, the Jordanian consulate in Mecca also announced the death of 60 pilgrims from this country in Saudi Arabia, and this caused criticism. The institutions responsible for Hajj in this country should be raised in the public opinion, and as a result, the license of a number of companies active in this field was canceled by the government. In addition, Tunisia reported the death of 35 pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, as a result of which the Minister of Awqaf was dismissed. According to the announcement of the authorities of our country, 17 Iranian pilgrims are also among the dead. .com” target=”_blank”>Akhbar The death of 1300 pilgrims during this year’s Hajj ceremony has provoked a wave of serious criticism against the Saudi authorities in Arab and Islamic countries, especially in the social networks of the aforementioned countries, and users demand the Saudis to answer. have been in this field. In the meantime, Saudi officials, including the Saudi Minister of Health, claimed in an interview with local media that this year’s Hajj was held successfully. The Saudi media also published extensive advertisements regarding the successful holding of Hajj this year. Some pilgrims posted that this intensified the criticism of the Saudis’ performance, because they were accused of commercializing religious practices and rituals such as Hajj.

Some social activists in the cyberspace emphasize that the Saudi government, in order to deal with the budget deficit, is issuing Hajj visas outside of the country, contrary to the executive regulations. The health and executive capacity of the cities of Makkah and Madinah has increased. This is while the Saudis have significantly increased the cost of Hajj visas since two years ago, but this increase was not accompanied by the improvement of services.

However, the reports of eyewitnesses and videos published on social networks indicate the absence of medical facilities for pilgrims during religious practices. For example, some pilgrims who lost their balance due to heatstroke, remained under the scorching sun for hours and died as a result. According to the BBC Arabic report, the lack of proper and sufficient transportation facilities for pilgrims in Mecca and Medina has been one of the main reasons for the death of 1,300 pilgrims in Hajj 2024. Also, the overcrowding of health and treatment centers and the lack of medical services at the right time are another reason for the high number of casualties in Hajj this year.

Some users compared the situation Hajj facilities in Makkah and Madinah, with the facilities of American singers’ concerts, dance programs, sports competitions, etc., which are organized by the entertainment organization in Riyadh and Jeddah, show the systematic neglect of pilgrims in the cultural programs of the Saudi government. They were criticized. 

Despite these criticisms, the Saudis have not yet shown an official reaction to this space. In the meantime, some analysts claim that the criticism raised against the Saudis is being organized by the UAE cyber army and has been evaluated in the form of a new atmosphere of competition between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in regional issues.

On the other hand, this criticism is raised in social networks that within the framework of 2030 policies, the Saudi authorities Their point of view towards Hajj has a commercial color based on income generation. In this framework, this year, the capacity to enter the Hajj ceremony has increased from 4 million to 8 million, and even high-ranking Saudi officials have spoken of a plan to increase the number of pilgrims to 20 million per year.

This is while, from the point of view of experts, this increase is without considering the logistical capacity and regardless of the spiritual dimensions of the Hajj, which is being redefined with a purely touristic point of view among the Saudi authorities.

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