Egyptian authorities on Saturday ordered the revocation of the licenses of 16 tourist companies and the referral of their managers to the prosecution for “fraud”, after having made pilgrims travel illegally to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli “ordered to withdraw the licenses of these companies, to refer their managers to the public prosecutor and to impose a fine on them for the benefit of the families of the pilgrims who died because of them”, indicated his office in a statement.
This decision comes after the death of hundreds of pilgrims during the great Muslim pilgrimage held in Saudi Arabia in scorching heat, more than half of whom did not have permits for this annual gathering. A count established Friday by AFP, based on official declarations and information provided by diplomats, puts the death toll at more than 1,100, more than half of whom came from Egypt.
“The State has not failed”
Each year, tens of thousands of faithful attempt to participate in the pilgrimage without having the necessary permits, paid for and granted according to quotas, which give access in particular to air-conditioned facilities. A senior Saudi official on Friday defended the kingdom’s handling of the hajj pilgrimage which officially ended on Wednesday. “The State did not fail, but there was an error of judgment on the part of people who did not measure the risks incurred,” this official told AFP. “This happened against a backdrop of difficult weather conditions and very severe temperatures,” he added.
In early June, Saudi Arabia announced that its forces had pushed back more than 300,000 unregistered pilgrims from Mecca, including 153,998 foreigners who entered the kingdom on tourist visas, without going through official channels. However, it seems that a large number of unauthorized pilgrims managed to participate in the rituals which took place over several days, in particularly trying conditions. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim who can afford it must do it at least once in their life.
Permits to participate in the hajj are allocated to countries according to a quota system. Even for those who can get them, the high costs make the irregular route — which costs thousands of dollars less — more attractive. “We can estimate the number of unregistered pilgrims at around 400,000,” the Saudi official said on Friday. “Most of them are of the same nationality,” the official added, probably referring to Egypt. Arab diplomats told AFP earlier this week that Egypt had 658 dead, including 630 unregistered pilgrims.