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Qatar : Ban on expat pilgrims flying to perform Haj |
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News -
Middleeast News
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Tuesday, 08 September 2009 12:52 |
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Qatar has banned all Muslim expatriates from flying to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj
, forcing them instead to travel by road if they want to make the pilgrimage this year, local daily Gulf Times reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
Only Qatari nationals will be allowed to travel by air to the kingdom for Haj, the newspaper said.
The decision will make it difficult for many expats to perform Haj and add to the woes of tour operators, which have seen bookings plunge in the wake of the global swine flu pandemic, the paper said.
Nationals account for just 20 percent of pilgrims from the Qatar, the paper added.
“This decision will cause much difficulty for many of the expatriates opting for Haj this year,” one operator was quoted as saying.
Maktoob
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