Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam’s two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king’s official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. (CIA) The Saudi government said it would suspend visas for Muslims seeking to visit Mecca and Medina. Millions of Muslims make the journey each year, especially during the month of Ramadan, which starts in April. Saudi Arabia has also suspended visas for tourists from countries with confirmed cases of the virus. It is not clear when the visa restrictions will be lifted or how Ramadan and the major Hajj pilgrimage – which begins in July – will be affected. The announcement by Saudi Arabia comes as other Middle Eastern countries introduce sweeping measures to curb the spread of the disease in the region. Iran in particular is considered a hotspot of coronavirus transmission, with 245 cases and 26 deaths from it confirmed on Thursday. (BBC) There have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Saudi Arabia, although infected Saudis are under care in neighboring Bahrain. It is said that given the worldwide spread of the virus and the global nature of the umrah [the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca], it makes sense to cut close the holy sites from a public health and safety point of view. Especially since Iran illustrates how a religious crossroads can so quickly amplify the spread and reach of the virus.
Saudi Arabia is also an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. It possesses about 16% of the world’s proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC [The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries]. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 87% of budget revenues, 42% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. Saudi Arabia is encouraging the growth of the private sector in order to diversify its economy and to employ more Saudi nationals. Approximately 6 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and service sectors. (CIA) An alliance between Saudi Arabia and Russia has helped prop up oil prices for the last three years. But the two big oil producers were not in perfect harmony this week, as they have tried to recalibrate production targets to cope with reduced deand from China, whose economy has been crippled by the coronavirus epidemic. (NYT) Saudi Arabia is pushing to make a substantial cut in oil production when OPEC and its allies meet this week, as global energy producers scramble to respond to the coronavirus outbreak that has crippled demand. The coronavirus outbreak has been pressuring oil prices for weeks as Saudi Arabia-led OPEC and other oil producers try to gauge how the widening outbreak could affect global energy demand. In addition, a current OPEC agreement struck in December aimed to cut output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March. OPEC had already been facing lower oil prices from oversupply and waning demand in China; the world’s largest oil importer. Just yesterday, NPR reported oil prices have plummeted and now hover just below $50 a barrel. This is bad news for countries that depend on oil sales to China. Subsequently is particularly tough on Saudi Arabia, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has promised a major overhaul of the kingdom’s economy. High oil prices are needed to do achieve this and it is incredibly tough to foster new industries and create jobs and try to develop new economic sectors when oil is at approximately $50 a barrel.
References:
Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ). ( n.d. ). The world factbook.
(2020, February 27). Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia suspends entry for pilgrims visiting holy sites.
Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51658061
Reed, S. (2020, February 7). Saudi-Russian Alliance Is Strained as Coronavirus Saps Demand for Oil.
Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/business/opec-russia-saudi-arabia.html
To all the have commented,
Saudi Arabia has partially reopened Islam’s holiest site, Mecca’s Grand Mosque. The ban on pilgrimages remains as part of the kingdom’s measures to combat the coronavirus. Saudi Arabia had introduced a series of measures to protect the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina from the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. As part of the measures, authorities closed off the interior of the Grand Mosque to allow cleaning teams to disinfect the tawaf area near the Kaaba. The holy site reopened for those seeking to perform the tawaf ritual, which involves walking around the sacred Kaaba, a black boxed structure in the mosque complex. However, visitors will not permitted to touch the Kaaba. The new regulations included the closure of both mosques between the evening Isha prayers and morning Fajr prayers, and a ban on food entering the two sites.
Is is unclear as to how long the ban on Umrah pilgrimages will be implemented, but travel agencies state that Saudi Arabia introduced the restrictions to prepare for the coronavirus.However, Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year.
Hi Nicole: very interesting blog post. The corona virus is affecting so many countries and so many events. It is upsetting that there will be a travel restriction during Ramadan. I cannot see any other way to get the corona virus under control until there is a vaccine for it. Oil prices are something that I really did not take into consideration with the virus. Is there a large outcry for the restriction during Ramadan and other holy holidays? I cannot see an end to this virus until there is a vaccine. It will be interesting to see if the world comes together to combat this or if it pushes countries farther apart.
Hello Nicole,
Upon reading your post, I was wondering if there were any articles or information on how the Muslim pilgrims feel about this topic? While I am not certain, my assumption would be that most would still make the journey despite the risk, as they are bound by religious belief. Also you mentioned that most of the major pilgrimages occur in the summer. Although certain officials believe that the COVID-19 virus will dissipate come the warmer weather, according to Gunia (2020), there is no way to know for sure. This will present unique and difficult challenges for the Saudi Arabian government officials. Did any of your research elaborate more on this aspect this terrible issue? Thank you. Mark
References:
Gunia, A. (2020). Will warmer weather stop the spread of the coronavirus? Don’t count on it, say experts. Time Magazine. Retrieved on 03/08/2020, from: https://www.google.com/amp/s.time.com/5790880/coronavirus-warm-weather-summer/%3famp=true
Hi Nicole,
Great post. It seems unclear when the ban restrictions will be lifted. Do you think the ban is necessary? Thousands of Muslims may not be able to visit holy sites in Saudi Arabia because of coronavirus.
-Miranda