MINA, 31 January 2004 — As millions prepare to perform the rituals to complete their pilgrimage this year, there is a small number of faithful whose fervor to perform this annual rite manages to transcend the regulations.
These are the “illegal” pilgrims, mostly residents in the Kingdom. They try their utmost to surmount all barriers in their bid to perform Haj and they add to the numbers in the already overflowing Mina.
Yesterday, there were thousands without Haj permits who had successfully crossed various barriers and checkpoints set up specifically to turn them back. Many of them were seen squatting on the pavements.
By law, anyone living in the Kingdom needs a Haj permit from the passport office. Both Saudis and expatriates are limited to performing Haj once every five years. However, many disregard the rules and have made it their practice to perform Haj annually. Their zeal unfortunately adds to the logistic pressures at the holy sites and makes it harder on the legitimate pilgrims, many of whom are making the journey for the first time and have traveled thousands of miles to perform the Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam.
With security around Mina, Makkah and other holy sites very tight, the authorities have been turning back with a gentle but firm hand those full of faith without the requisite permits. But that does not stop the determined among the “illegal” pilgrims. Many resort to the services of touts, who arrange safe passage into Mina for a fee.
These “illegal” pilgrims first make their way to Makkah and from there use their ingenuity or the “arrangers” to get into Mina. Thousands of these “illegal” pilgrims were seen squatting on the pavements all over the tent city. Many of them are to be found on the pedestrian bridge leading to Arafat.
Mohsin Ali, a Pakistani and resident of Taif, is performing his fifth Haj. Ali’s story is: “My sponsor has always failed to get me permission for the pilgrimage and hence I had to break the rules.”
When questioned “why for the fifth time?”, he sheepishly grins and looks away.
A worried housewife from Hyderabad was seen searching for her lost husband, after both had made it to Mina. “We had decided that if either were to go missing in the crowd then we would meet under this bridge,” Aneesa Begum said.
Muhammad Ibrahim of Sudan says that he is determined to perform Haj as often as he can as long as he lives. “Even if I am not in Saudi Arabia, I will come for Haj. This is my pledge, rules or no rules.”
Security officials admit that several hundred “illegal” pilgrims do sneak in. “It is very difficult to detect them among the throng of millions. They just mix in,” said a security officer near the Mina entry point. He admits that at times they do identify the “illegal” pilgrims but prefer to be lenient with them. “We tend to ignore them. Also catching them and sending them back would be more troublesome,” he said.
Authorities, however, agree that the problem of “illegal” pilgrims is growing every year and say they will be looking into ways to control it. “Some new measures have to be taken otherwise this menace could turn into a major problem,” said the security officer in charge of the team based near Jamrat.
