Hajj 2015: Saudi Authorities To Deal Strictly With Pilgrims Who Violate Sharia Law

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not going to tolerate Hajj pilgrims who violate its laws during the visit. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sanad, the chief of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said that any pilgrim acting against the Sharia law of the country or disrupting Hajj rituals would be strictly dealt with.

“The country is honored by the presence of the Two Holy Mosques and Saudi Arabia is following the path established during the reign of its founder, King Abdul Aziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal,” Arab News quoted Al-Sanad as saying.

Al-Sanad confirmed the firm measures against offenders at the Council of Ministers’ meeting attended by King Salman, his deputy Prince Mohammad bin Naif and the chairman of the Hajj Committee.

Saudi Gazette reported that more than 200 doors of the Grand Mosque would be kept open for Hajj pilgrims. The director of the department of doors at the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Abdullah Al-Tumaih, said that doors near the King Abdulaziz Gate would remain open.

According to Al-Tumaih, some of the doors will be kept open from Sept. 4. The rest will open after an expansion project stops for Hajj, he said, adding that qualified employees, both male and female, would be on duty at the doors 24 hours a day. There will be doors specifically designed for people with special needs, Al-Tumaih said.

The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is expected to start around Sept. 21 with over 2 million people are expected to visit the Islamic pilgrimage. The exact date of the pilgrimage cannot be determined in advance because it follows the Islamic lunar calendar.