Muslims expressed disappointment Tuesday at Saudi Arabia's decision to scale back this year's hajj pilgrimage, but many accepted it was necessary as the kingdom battles a major coronavirus outbreak.
"My hopes of going to were so high," said Kamariah Yahya, 68, from Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, which had already barred its citizens from the hajj earlier this month.Shahid Rafique, chairman of a Pakistani hajj tour operators' group, said it was"a moment of sorrow for all the Muslims, especially for those who were making plans for years and years".
Retired public transport worker Abdollah Pouyan pointed to an upswing in cases and deaths from the disease in the Islamic Republic in recent weeks, saying"this is all because of large gatherings". "Unlike other countries, the majority of Bangladeshi pilgrims are elderly people, and they are vulnerable to COVID-19," Shahadat Hossain Taslim said.
Officials in the kingdom, where virus cases have surpassed 161,000, say the pilgrimage will be limited to those below 65 years of age and with no chronic illnesses.
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