CAIRO: A month after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the H1N1 alert level to stage six, signaling a global pandemic, it remains unclear whether it will take its toll on the high seasons for Umrah and Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. While some travel agencies reported a slight decrease in the number of Umrah pilgrims, they still say that people are still going ahead with their pilgrimage plans. Saudi Arabia is a particularly precarious destination because it draws Muslims from around the world during Umrah and Hajj seasons. The Umrah high season extends over the coming three months before and through Ramadan (which starts late August), while Hajj is set to start late November. A few days after the WHO declared H1N1 a global pandemic, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti, Sheikh Abdel Aziz Al Sheikh issued a fatwa prohibiting travel to countries where H1N1 has appeared, citing a Hadith by Prophet Mohamed that urges against traveling to or out of a country where there is a plague. He explained that by visiting a country where the virus exists, people would be willingly endangering their lives, which is prohibited in Islam. Egypt's Islamic clerics echoed these sentiments, however, leaving the decision up to the Ministry of Health. "The Ministry of Health is the one that makes the decision not scholars, if they think that prohibiting travel is mandatory . then there is absolutely no objection whatsoever from Sharia, said Sheikh Mahmoud Ashour, member of the Islamic Research Center and former deputy for Al-Azhar. Ashour explained that it is permissible in Islam to put off both Umrah and Hajj trips, adding that in 1947 when cholera broke out, people were not allowed to go to Saudi Arabia for both pilgrimages. Minister of Social Solidarity, Ali Moselhi, told local news this week that there needs to be strict criterion dictating who can go on Hajj pilgrimage this year. Pregnant women, children and those with chronic diseases, especially lung diseases, should not be allowed to go, Moselhi said in a meeting with the National Institute to Facilitate the Hajj and Umrah. However, travel agencies in Egypt are not looking that far ahead. "It's still not time of Hajj, so we don't need to think about that now, said Zeinab Abdel Fattah from Golden Tours. "It's now the time of Umrah, and people are still going [although] the number of people has decreased from previous years, she added. Abdel Fattah said the agency is not offering any special services this season as travelers "already know about precautions like using the mask and avoiding crowded areas. "People are aware of the risks of swine flu. They have the television, radio, newspapers.they can decide for themselves if they want to go or not, she said. Another high profile travel agency, Maya Travel, also hasn't taken any precautionary measures for this year's Hajj trips. Mamdouh Saleh, manager at Maya Travel, said there have only been suggestions to take doctors on Hajj trips. Last week, the Egyptian Ministry of Health requested that the Ministry of Tourism have a physician accompany Egyptian groups going on Umrah. Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garranah had also issued a decree obliging all tour agencies to issue travel insurance for their pilgrims to give them access to the "best hospitals in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. "If the [number of people infected with] swine flu increases, then we will start to take the necessary precautions but for now, there is no dire need to, Saleh said. He said people are still going on Umrah trips but acknowledged that the virus has had an effect on the market. "[However] we cannot turn anyone away and tell them they can't go on Hajj or Umrah, Saleh said. People who came back from Umrah trips this year reported no change in the number of visitors flocking to perform the pilgrimage. Soraya Abdel Wahab, currently in Mecca, said her temperature was checked at the airport. "I'm taking some safety measures for myself, for example, I wear the mask when I'm in a crowded place, I have my own mat to pray on and I constantly wash my hands and face, she explained.
