JEDDAH: Hundreds of Egyptian pilgrims, most of them Umrah overstayers, gathered in front of their consulate in Al-Rawdah district demanding deportation back to Egypt.
According to the Egyptian Consul General Ali Al-Ashiri, most of the overstaying pilgrims who come for Umrah and then overstay until Haj cannot afford travel expenses.
He added that their number could have dropped this year to 3,400, according to records from the Saudi Haj Ministry. He attributed the drop in numbers to the strict measures implemented by the Saudi and Egyptian governments to put an end to overstaying in the Kingdom. He also pointed to the fingerprinting system, which is in use in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Ashiri said that the Egyptian Consulate signed a memorandum of understanding with the Haj city near the Jeddah Islamic seaport to give shelter to overstaying Egyptian pilgrims, to prevent them from squatting in front of the seaport and roads leading to it.
As for pilgrims gathered in front of the consulate building, he said that they refused to use the accommodation provided for them at the Haj city, hoping to put pressure on the Saudi authorities to deport them quickly.
