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Indonesians stranded after Saudi Arabia suspends umrah pilgrimage over coronavirus fears
- Every year, more than one million Muslims from Indonesia travel to the holy city of Mecca for umrah, a minor pilgrimage
- There are fears that the haj, the most significant religious journey of Muslims worldwide, will also be cancelled this year
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What was supposed to be one of the most significant moments in the lives of Indonesian Muslims has turned instead to heartache and worry, after Saudi Arabia this week suspended visas for the minor pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, known as umrah, over coronavirus fears.
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The haj, the most significant religious journey of Muslims worldwide that is set to start on July 28, could also be thrown into doubt due to the growing epidemic, which has sickened over 85,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2,900.
Saudi Arabia does not have a confirmed case of the virus, but the Saudi government’s decision went into immediate effect on Thursday, leaving thousands of pilgrims around the world in limbo.
In Southeast Asia, the nations most affected by the travel ban include Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation with more than 200 million followers, as well as neighbours Malaysia and Brunei. Minority Muslim communities in other regional countries have also been impacted.
More than one million Indonesian pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia annually for umrah, and more than 200,000 are granted permission each year for the haj, which has a quota system imposed by Riyadh.
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