JEDDAH, 27 November 2004 — The Haj Ministry has instructed domestic Haj service companies and agencies to cancel five-star Haj services as part of its efforts to create space for more pilgrims and control exorbitant charges, press reports said.
Dr. Isa Rawwas, deputy Haj minister, and Ibrahim Sabiq, deputy chairman of the National Haj Committee, emphasized that Haj agencies would not be allowed to allocate a full tent to a single pilgrim for any reason. “We have told the agencies engaged in domestic pilgrim services that they must utilize at least 75 percent of the capacity of their tents in the holy sites,” Rawwas said.
Some agencies that provide VIP Haj services allocate a full tent for a single pilgrim in Mina and Arafat on the peak days of Haj at a time when millions of pilgrims scramble for space in the holy sites.
“We will conduct field inspections and punish violators of the rule,” Rawwas said, adding that violators would be barred from Haj service in the coming seasons. Sabiq backed the ministry’s move and said it would prevent companies charging high prices and help accommodate more pilgrims.
The VIP Haj service has drawn strong criticism from the public as well as pilgrims and some Saudi writers have urged authorities to stop the system to preserve the sanctity of pilgrimage and prevent commercialization of Haj.
“The phenomenon of VIP Haj service should not be allowed to go unchallenged. It must be carefully studied and evaluated to ensure it does not spread further and turn Haj into an expensive luxury,” wrote columnist Sulaiman Al-Oqaili in Al-Watan Arabic daily.
Some affluent pilgrims are ready to pay up to SR50,000 for a five-day Haj service. “Too many people these days forget that the real satisfaction of Haj should spring from shunning material luxuries and focusing instead on religious and spiritual matters, willingly undergoing physical hardship while seeking rewards from God,” Oqaili said.
Some 254 companies and agencies are vying to serve more than 300,000 domestic pilgrims this year. They expect to make a revenue of at least SR900 million offering various services for charges ranging between SR2,500 and SR25,000 per pilgrim.
