صراط عشق صراط عشق
Saudi’s new visa lottery system has thrown Australian Muslims’ Hajj plans into chaos. The rules changed overnight, forcing many to cancel their flights and hotel bookings.
Muslims from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, North America and Europe initially rejoiced when Saudi Arabia announced in April that it would open its borders to allow foreigners in for the Hajj pilgrimage. But once the jubilation subsided, questions from both communities and travel operators arose as the Saudi Ministry of Hajj made no further announcements.
One travel operator from Melbourne, who spoke to the ABC anonymously for fear of repercussions from the Gulf nation, said he and others in the industry were not given any clear answers.
“They said they’ll confirm before Ramadan and we waited. Eid came and nothing happened,” he said. On June 6, the Saudi government made a surprise announcement: Muslims from Western countries were told to immediately cancel any existing flights and hotel bookings.
