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A28    WORLD NEWS
                      Tuesday 28 July 2020
            Pilgrims arrive in Mecca for downsized hajj amid pandemic




            By AYA BATRAWY                                                                                                      tige  and  influence  among
            Associated Press                                                                                                    Muslims globally. Saudi Ara-
            DUBAI,  United  Arab  Emir-                                                                                         bia  has  never  canceled
            ates  (AP)  —  Muslim  pil-                                                                                         the  hajj  in  the  nearly  90
            grims  have  started  arriving                                                                                      years since the country was
            in  Mecca  for  a  drastically                                                                                      founded.
            scaled-down hajj, as Saudi                                                                                          King  Salman,  who  typi-
            authorities  balance  the                                                                                           cally oversees the hajj from
            kingdom's oversight of one                                                                                          Mecca, underwent surgery
            of Islam's key pillars and the                                                                                      to  remove  his  gallbladder
            safety of visitors in the face                                                                                      at a hospital in the capital,
            of a global pandemic.                                                                                               Riyadh, the royal court said
            The  hajj,  which  begins                                                                                           last  week.  The  84-year-old
            on  Wednesday,  normally                                                                                            monarch was to remain at
            draws  around  2.5  million                                                                                         the hospital to recover and
            people for five intense days                                                                                        be observed by doctors.
            of  worship  in  one  of  the                                                                                       For  the  first  time  in  Saudi
            world's  largest  gatherings                                                                                        history,  no  pilgrims  from
            of people from around the                                                                                           abroad  were  permitted  to
            world.                                                                                                              take part in the hajj due to
            This year, Saudi Arabia's Hajj                                                                                      concerns  about  the  coro-
            Ministry  has  said  between                                                                                        navirus  and overcrowding.
            1,000  and  10,000  people   Pilgrims arrive to King Abdulaziz Airport for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,   It's  a  stark  departure  from
            already  residing  in  the   Saturday, July 25, 2020.                                                               previous years, when some
            kingdom  will  be  allowed                                                                         Associated Press  2 million pilgrims from more
            to  perform  the  pilgrimage.  her  home  and  tested  her  when  she  found  out  she  religious  exercises  to  keep  than 160 countries flocked
            Two-thirds of those pilgrims  for the COVID-19 virus. She  was  selected.  Daud  said  busy.                        to  Mecca  for  the  spiritual
            will be from among foreign  was  then  given  an  elec-   she's  praying  for  the  end  The  Saudi  government  is  rituals,  mostly  from  across
            residents  in  Saudi  Arabia  tronic  bracelet  that  moni-  of  COVID-19  and  for  unity  covering  the  expenses  of  Asia and Africa.
            and one-third will be Saudi  tors  her  movements,  and  among Muslims around the  all pilgrims this year, provid-  Although  the  hajj  often
            citizens.                    told  to  quarantine  for  sev-  world.                   ing them with meals, hotel  draws  all  age  groups,  pil-
            The kingdom has one of the  eral days at home.            "I am confident that safety  accommodation,       trans-  grims  this  year  were  re-
            Mideast's largest outbreaks  After   that,   Daud   was  measures  are  being  taken  portation and health care.  quired  to  be  between  the
            of  the  coronavirus,  with  moved  to  a  hotel  in  Mec-  and that the only thing that  Normally, the hajj can cost  ages  of  20  and  50,  and  in
            nearly  269,000  reported  ca,  where  she  remains  in  we  need  to  do  as  pilgrims  thousands of dollars for pil-  good health.
            infections,  including  2,760  self-isolation,  still  wearing  is follow instructions, and try  grims  who  save  for  a  life-  The  physically  demand-
            deaths.                      the  electronic  wristband.  our  best  to  support  each  time for the journey. It also  ing  rituals  of  the  hajj  offer
            Fatin  Daud,  a  25-year-old  A  large  box  of  food  is  de-  other," she said.      generates billions of dollars  a profound experience for
            Malaysian  who  is  study-   livered  to  her  hotel  room  While   self-isolating   has  in  revenue  each  year  for  Muslims,  with  the  faithful
            ing Arabic in Saudi Arabia,  three  times  a  day  as  she  been  emotionally  chal-   Saudi Arabia.                often weeping, their palms
            was among the select few  prepares to begin the hajj.     lenging,  Daud  said  she  is  Saudi  kings  have  for  gen-  stretched  toward  the  sky,
            whose  application  for  hajj  "It  was  unbelievable.  It  felt  part of a group of about 10  erations  assumed  titles  as  in prayer and repentance.
            was  approved.  After  her  surreal  because  I  was  not  Malaysian  and  Singapor-   custodians of Islam's holiest  The  hajj  is  required  of  all
            selection,   Saudi   Health  expecting  to  get  it,"  she  ean  pilgrims  connecting  sites, and their oversight of  able-bodied  Muslims  once
            Ministry  officials  came  to  said  of  her  excitement  online and sharing tips and  the hajj is a source of pres-  in a lifetime.q


              Malaysia says 26 Rohingya feared drowned found on islet


                                                                      ern islet after they were ini-  were  believed  to  have  desh.  Muslim-dominated
                                                                      tially feared drowned after  been transported by local  Malaysia has been a com-
                                                                      jumping off a fishing boat.  fishermen from a main ves-  mon  destination  of  boats
                                                                      The  Malaysian  Maritime  sel  further  out  at  sea  and  arranged  by  traffickers
                                                                      Enforcement       Agency  let  off  near  Langkawi  so  who promise the refugees
                                                                      launched a search for the  they could sneak in unde-    a better life abroad.
                                                                      group after one Rohingya  tected.                       Last month, Malaysian au-
                                                                      migrant  found  Saturday  The  Rohingya  have  been  thorities  detained  269  Ro-
                                                                      on the islet off the northern  detained  for  further  in-  hingya and found a body
                                                                      resort  island  of  Langkawi  vestigation  and  will  be  on  board  a  suspected
                                                                      told  investigators  that  at  handed  to  the  immigra-  smuggling  boat  off  Lang-
                                                                      least  24  other  Rohingya  tion  department,  he  said  kawi  that  they  said  had
                                                                      were missing.               in a statement. Two other  been  intentionally  dam-
                                                                      Following  further  interro-  Rohingya  migrants  were  aged  so  it  couldn't  be
                                                                      gation, the agency found  also  arrested  for  suspect-  turned  back  to  sea.  The
              In this photo taken Sunday, July 26, 2020, by the Malaysian   26 Rohingya refugees hid-  ed trafficking.        Malaysian  Maritime  En-
              Maritime  Enforcement  Agency,  shows  rescued  Rohingya   ing on the islet on Sunday,  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  forcement  Agency  later
              refugees on a beach on Rebak Island off the resort island of   said  senior  agency  offi-  Rohingya  Muslims  have  said  that  the  269  were
              Langkawi, Malaysia.                                     cial Zawawi Abdullah. The  fled       Buddhist-majority  transferred  from  a  larger
                                                     Associated Press  group included 12 men, 10  Myanmar due to a military  vessel on which dozens of
              KUALA  LUMPUR,  Malay-      found  26  Rohingya  Mus-   women and four children,  crackdown,  and  many  people  were  believed  to
              sia  (AP)  —  Malaysian  au-  lims, including women and  officials said.            live  in  densely  crowded  have died and their bod-
              thorities said Monday they  children, hiding on a north-  Zawawi said the Rohingya  refugee camps in Bangla-    ies thrown into the sea.q
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