Saudi Arabia to triple Umrah quotas despite criticism

Rasa - While Saudi authorities have come under fire for their inability to ensure the safety of Hajj pilgrims, Riyadh has said it plans to increase Umrah (minor) Hajj quotas.

News ID: 3470

Date: 13 October 2015 - 19:53

Rasa - Bandar bin Mohammed bin Hamza Asaad Al Hajjar, the Saudi Minister of Hajj, said in the next Umrah season 1,250,000 visas will be issued for Umrah Hajj every month, the huffpostarabi website said.

Until last year, the number of monthly visas issued for Umrah stood at 400,000.

Experts say that by doing so, the Saudi regime is trying to make up for its budget deficit due to plummeting oil prices.

According to figures released by the International Monetary Fund, the kingdom’s budget deficit will hit a whopping figure of USD 130 billion (117 billion euros) this year.

Based on the IMF’s forecast in July, the budget deficit can be as high as 20 percent of Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Riyadh’s decision to triple Umrah Hajj visas comes as Muslim world is still waiting for explanations about the causes of the tragic events in this year’s Hajj.

On September 24, some 4,700 pilgrims were killed in a crush of people in Mina, near Makkah, when performing the Hajj rites. It marked the worst ever Hajj disaster.

The incident came nearly two weeks after tens of Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Makkah.

On September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Makkah’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people, including 11 Iranians, and injuring 201 others.

Hajj is the world’s largest annual gathering of people.

Umrah is a pilgrimage to Makkah performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to Hajj that must be performed in the month of Dhul Hajja in the lunar Hijri calendar.

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