Saudi Arabia welcomes Qatari pilgrims for Umrah

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Tue, 05 Jun 2018 - 12:29 GMT

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Tue, 05 Jun 2018 - 12:29 GMT

Tahya Misr denies collecting fees from pilgrims during Umrah season - Egypt Today

Tahya Misr denies collecting fees from pilgrims during Umrah season - Egypt Today

CAIRO – 5 June 2018: The Ministry of Haj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia confirmed that all pilgrims arriving in the kingdom to perform Umrah from different countries in the world, including Qatar, have smoothly performed the rituals this year (1439 Hijri).

According to a statement issued by the ministry, Saudi government reaffirmed that Qatari brothers can continue performing Umrah at any time from any airline except the Qatari airlines, adding that all services and facilities will be provided by the Saudi government to the pilgrims and visitors of all nationalities.



On July 30, 2017, Saudi Arabia allocated emergency air corridors to receive Qatari flights carrying Qatari pilgrims, though the Qatari National Human Rights Committee filed a complaint to the United Nations, accusing the kingdom of “politicizing Hajj by hindering Qataris’ access to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage”; an accusation Saudi Arabia completely denied.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir denounced claims that the kingdom bans Qatari pilgrims from entering Mecca during a joint press conference in July 2017 in Manama.

Hajj season is the busiest season in KSA, where pilgrims come from around the world to visit Holy Kaaba and other holy sites of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which requires special preparations to accommodate all people with different needs and from all races.

After the Arab Quartet severed their relations with Qatar, Qatar Airways lost its flights to 18 cities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain and thus suffered a huge loss.

“We will announce a very big loss during the current financial year which ends this month,” Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, Akbar al-Baker, announced on March 7, without giving further details.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain decided on June 5, 2017, to sever diplomatic and trade relations with Doha, closing their common land borders and air spaces.

The neighboring Arab states’ decision came after accusations of Qatar’s support for terrorism surfaced.

Saudi Arabia is currently organizing the pilgrimage season, whose rituals are regularly performed in Mecca and Medina.

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