North-Caucasian pilgrims face threat of Hajj cancellation

The demand for Hajj pilgrimage among North-Caucasian Muslims has dropped because of the spread of coronavirus and rouble depreciation, tour operators report. Saudi Arabia may cancel the Hajj; and operators will have to return the money to unfortunate pilgrims, said the office of Ilyas Umakhanov, the Hajj Commissioner under the Russian government.

The 2020 Hajj may be cancelled, said an employee of the above office.

Rasul Gadjiev, the head of the religious affairs department of the Ministry for National Policy and Religious Matters of Dagestan, also did not rule out that Saudi Arabia would cancel this year's Hajj due to coronavirus. In this case, operators will return the money to those who have already paid for the trip, he is sure.

Bulat Kurbanov, the director general of the "Marva-Tour", the official Hajj operator in Dagestan, has assured that if Saudi Arabia decides not to cancel the Hajj, then, pilgrims will be informed about coronavirus and remedies against it.

The "Kavkaz" tour operator, which is selling Hajj tours in all the republics of Northern Caucasus, has suspended the sale thereof due to the situation with coronavirus.

Residents of Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia also fear that the Hajj will be cancelled.