JEDDAH, 25 February 2005 — The deadline set by Saudi authorities for Haj pilgrims to leave the Kingdom expired yesterday with some pilgrims still awaiting transportation to their home countries.
No exact figure of overstaying pilgrims has been made available, but until a few weeks ago a few hundred thousands were still in the country. Up to 400,000 of the 1.5 million pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom faced delays in their departure by air and sea for different reasons three weeks after this year’s Haj ended.
Many of these were stranded for technical reasons, mainly delays in flight schedules. Among them were thousands of Afghan pilgrims who could not return home because of the bad weather hitting their country where heavy rain and snow forced the closure of airports and blocked inland roads. Most of the problems relate to plane reservations and pilgrims who have lost their tickets.
Haj fight schedules were thrown into confusion even before the start of the annual pilgrimage when the Supreme Judiciary Council brought forward by one day the date of the Standing at Arafat, which marks the climax of Haj. Saudi Arabian Airlines has reportedly agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Haj and Umrah service firms that threatened to take legal action against it for allegedly causing them financial losses during the Haj season. Some 20 companies who sought compensation of SR80 million from the airline have agreed to settle the matter.
Many of the overstaying pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom as Umrah pilgrims, some three months before Haj, and then stayed over for the Haj without means of living or accommodation. Umrah pilgrims are required to leave the country two weeks after the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Umrah tour companies are fined SR100 per runaway pilgrim found living out in the open.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Haj said it has banned 30 local Umrah tour operators and 100 foreign agents from doing business during the new Umrah season which starts next month. Ministry officials said they expect as many as three million Umrah pilgrims to visit the holy city of Makkah during the season which extends until the advent of Haj which extends for 10 months until the advent of Haj by the end of the Muslim lunar year.
Deputy Minister of Haj Dr. Eisa Rawas said the companies have been notified of the decision to ban them from doing business during the new season. The ministry also informed local firms and foreign agents of a package of regulations to help curb the problem of pilgrims overstaying their visas in violation of the Kingdom’s immigration laws.
He said workshops would be organized in Muslim countries topping the list of overstaying pilgrims to apprise them of these rules. Violators face penalties including heavy fines, suspension and in the event of repeated breaking of the rules may have their licenses revoked.
Dr. Rawas said the ministry is currently considering a system to regulate domestic Umrah which attracts around one million Muslims from all over the Kingdom.
