Annual pilgrimage trips for Chinese Muslims suspended due to virus.

BEIJING -- The China Islamic Association has this year suspended organizing Chinese Muslims to attend the Hajj in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, after the country decided to bar Muslims from other countries from taking part in the annual pilgrimage to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the association said.

The confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia has reached more than 170,000, with more than 1,000 casualties have been reported. Also, the outbreak mainly happened in the cities of Makkah, Medina and Jeddah, where key religious sites are located, China Daily reported on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia also announced that it would not allow Muslims from other countries to travel to the country for the Hajj to protect people's health, the association said in a statement.

As a result, the association has decided to suspend organizing the pilgrimage trips for Chinese Muslims this year. It asks local Islamic associations around the country to explain the situation to local Muslim communities, according to the statement.

There has always been a long waiting list to attend the annual pilgrimage organized by the association in Muslim-populated areas such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. More than 10,000 Chinese pilgrims have the opportunity to...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT