Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s religious authorities on Wednesday approved a request by the government to reduce the number of pilgrims permitted at Islam’s annual haj this year to allow expansion work at Makkah’s Grand Mosque.
The decision to reduce numbers from abroad by a fifth, and from inside Saudi Arabia by half, comes as the kingdom’s authorities attempt to contain the Sars-like coronavirus MERS, but the authorities drew no link between the issues.
Last year more than 3 million pilgrims travelled to Makkahfor the pilgrimage,
The government has in recent years spent billions of dollars to expand the main pilgrimage areas and improve their safety.
Critics have attacked the government for razing some historical sites that date from the time of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in order to facilitate the expansion programmes.
In statements carried by the official Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday, the Supreme Judicial Council said the reduction in pilgrim numbers was legitimate to ensure safety while work was carried out to allow more pilgrims to come in future.
Similar statements were made by top officials at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and the Great Mosque in Makkah.
Saudi Arabia has so far had 62 confirmed cases of MERS, a respiratory infection, of which 34 patients died.
On Saturday international health experts meeting at the World Health Organisation’s Cairo office said countries where MERS was a risk should put in place plans to handle any mass public gatherings.
This year haj will be in October, but many pilgrims will also seek to visit Makkah in July during the fasting month of Ramadan.
