By IANS,
Dhaka : Saudi Arabia may bar Haj pilgrims below six years and above 65 years due to swine flu fears, a media report said Wednesday.
Jeddah was yet to convey its decision to the governments across the globe that coordinate the Haj by their Muslim citizens every year, New Age newspaper said.
In Bangladesh’s case, the number of pilgrims this year may be slashed by half.
“We don’t have any specific information about how many pilgrims will not able to go for Haj if the ban (is) imposed, but the number can come down to half,” said Shahjahan Mia, Bangladesh’s state minister for religious affairs.
“This will cause hurt to Bangladesh, but the government will try its best to minimise the potential loss,” Bdnews24.com web site quoted him as saying.
Bangladesh is supposed to send around 59,000 pilgrims to perform Haj, the biggest conglomeration of Muslims, later this year under government and private management.
Haj Association of Bangladesh president Ibrahim Bahar said if the decision was finalised, a maximum 20,000 to 25,000 pilgrims would be able to perform Haj.
Millions of Muslims from across the world gather for the Haj each year that requires Saudi Arabian authorities to look after their food and stay arrangement, their health and their movements.