Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have flocked to the Saudi holy city of Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, as the Zil Hajj religious festivities began last week.
One of the world's largest annual religious gatherings officially begins Friday, and Saudi officials are trying to focus on prayers.
The Saudi minister in charge of religious pilgrimages, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, warned last week that “no political activity will be tolerated.”
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims who have the necessary means.
As of Monday night, around 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in the oil-rich country from abroad, most of them by air, the official said. Saudi Press Agency reported.
Last year, more than 1.8 million people completed the Hajj rites, which last several days. Around 90% came from abroad, mainly from other parts of the Arab world and Asia, according to official figures.
Israel's devastating military operations against Hamas militants in Gaza have “created a lot of anger in [the] Muslim world at large,” making this year's hajj a “test” for Saudi leaders, said Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi politics at the University of Birmingham.
“Individuals or groups of pilgrims are likely to hold protests or performances, and the Saudis understand that this is a slippery slope,” he said. “Therefore, for Saudi rulers to perform the Hajj is a matter of prestige, but also a test of their governance.”
High temperatures
Rituals in and around Mecca fall again this year during the hot Saudi summer, with officials forecasting average high temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit).
Last year, more than 2,000 people suffered from heat stress, including heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps and rashes, according to Saudi authorities.
The real number was probably much higher, since many sick people were not admitted to hospitals or clinics.
Pilgrims have already arrived en masse in Mecca to begin surrounding the Kaaba.
Large crowds at the hajj have proven dangerous in the past, most recently in 2015, when a stampede during the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina, near Mecca, killed up to 2,300 people in the latest hajj disaster. lethal.
Managing the meeting represents “a logistical achievement,” said Bernard Haykel, a Saudi expert at Princeton University, with extensive surveillance and monitoring for health and safety reasons.
Pilgrimages to Mecca are a financial windfall for Saudi Arabia, generating billions of dollars as the world's largest crude oil exporter tries to develop its tourism sector.
Umrah, the year-round pilgrimage, attracted 13.5 million worshipers last year, and authorities are targeting 30 million Hajj and Umrah pilgrims by 2030.
