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Doha
Citizens and residents of Qatar have been prevented from performing Umrah for the second year in a row by the authorities in Saudi Arabia, Hajj and Umrah operators said.
Saudi Arabia has been taking arbitrary measures against Qatar’s citizens and residents and politicising religious rituals such as Umrah and Hajj.
Abdel Nasser Fakhro, executive director of Altawba office for Hajj and Umrah, said the insistence of the Saudi authorities to deprive the people of Qatar the right to perform Hajj and Umrah for the second year in a row is regrettable. There are many citizens and residents who want to perform Umrah, he added.
He said the authorities concerned in Saudi Arabia do not respond to requests from Qatari citizens and residents and even if they do it, that’s after many months. In most of the cases, the Saudi authorities reject the requests for performing Umrah, he added.
Ahmed Yousef al Mulla, a Hajj and Umrah operator, said the situation is still the same.
“The Saudi authorities have been continuing to politicise religious rituals. There is no contact between Hajj and Umrah authorities in Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Qatar,” he said, adding that the closure of the embassy and the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Qatar also prevents the completion of Hajj and Umrah campaigns management procedures, thus depriving Qatari citizens and residents of their right to perform the rituals.
He pointed out that the operators of Hajj and Umrah campaigns in Doha have been completely frozen without any work for nearly two years.
The minimum monthly losses for each office ranges between QR20,000 and QR50,000, he added.
Over the past few years, Umrah has been attracting large number of travellers.
Hajj and Umrah offices used to experience high demand at this time of the year from many families and individuals wishing to spend the midterm holidays for performing Umrah.
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25/12/2018
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