Hajj death toll tops 1,000 after extreme heat ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | The death toll from this year’s hajj had by June 21 exceeded 1,000, a tally by the international news agency AFP has said. More than half were unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia. …
Read More »Uganda’s Hajj Bureau releases 2024 pilgrimage plan
Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Bureau of Hajj has released a comprehensive plan designed to assist Muslims who are eager to embark on the sacred Pilgrimage in the upcoming year, 2024. The plan has been unveiled in response to the stringent new guidelines mandated by the Saudi …
Read More »Uganda Airlines returns pilgrims from Mecca, another milestone to celebrate
COMMENT | Samson Tinka | On June 20th 2023, a colleague shared a video clip purportedly recorded by MP Nkunyingi Muwada and among his claims were that Uganda Airlines had fleeced Hajjis and Hajjatis meant to travel to Mecca for Hijja. He claimed Uganda Airlines did not fly these Muslim brothers and …
Read More »Govt to step in to check Hajj fraudsters
Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has started investigations into allegations of fraud that were reported by Muslims traveling to Mecca and Medina. During the past weeks, several groups of Muslims who were preparing to embark on their sacred journey to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to …
Read More »Uganda Hajj Bureau explains delays in travel of pilgrims
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Hajj Bureau has explained the unfortunate travel delays experienced by numerous Muslims who had planned to journey for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the revered cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Reports emerged on Monday indicating that several pilgrims were …
Read More »Grand Mosque in Macca receives 1st batch of pilgrims as Hajj begins
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Xinhua | The first batch of pilgrims arrived on Saturday at the Grand Mosque in Macca to perform their first ritual for Hajj, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The ritual was performed with huge preparations and precautionary measures against COVID-19, and there are different locations that …
Read More »Two million expected in Mecca for hajj pilgrimage, a pillar of Islam
The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam Mecca, Saudi Arabia | AFP | The annual hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia’s city of Mecca is one of five pillars of Islam that all Muslims who are able to are expected to complete at least once. More than two million …
Read More »Religious tourism: the white gold of Saudi Arabia
Mina, Saudi Arabia | AFP | With global oil prices flailing, Saudi Arabia is turning to another natural resource: billions of dollars gained from religious tourism as the kingdom hosts the annual hajj pilgrimage. Shops line the packed esplanade of the Great Mosque of Mecca, one of the holiest sites in …
Read More »In smartphone age, the hajj is for sharing
In smartphone age, the hajj is for sharing Mecca, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Arm outstretched, Abdul Rahman sweeps his mobile phone across the vista of Mecca, the Great Mosque dazzling in the sun, so his son in Tanzania can experience the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites. He may be thousands …
Read More »More than two million Muslims begin hajj pilgrimage
Mecca, Saudi Arabia | AFP | More than two million Muslims from around the world began the hajj pilgrimage at Islam’s holiest sites Wednesday, a religious duty and an epic multi-stage journey. This year sees pilgrims from Shiite Iran return to Mecca in Saudi Arabia after a hiatus following a diplomatic …
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