Children below the age of 10 may be barred from performing Haj from next year. The subject came up for discussion during a recent meeting between the heads of pilgrim establishments and the Saudi Haj Ministry.
According to the proposal, children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to accompany their parents as they perform the Islamic ritual, Gulf News reported.
No decision has yet been taken on the proposal, local daily Al Watan reported. It is only a point of discussion at the moment, the newspaper said.
The proposal stemmed from the fact that rising temperatures and a very high density of people at the holy sites during the annual pilgrimage put children at risk. In addition, there is a great possibility of children’s catching infections, it said.
“Some families bring their children with them because there is no one to look after them back home,” Tariq Anqawi, the head of Mutawafs (Guides) of pilgrims from Turkey, Europe and Australia, was quoted as telling Gulf News.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2014.
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