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Swine Flu Dashes Iraq Hajj Dream
By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
Several Muslim countries have already restricted pilgrims going to the holy places in Saudi Arabia over swine flu.
BAGHDAD ? Nur Abdel-Rassoul was counting the days to embark on hajj, the ultimate spiritual journey for which she has been saving for years to afford.
Then came the swine flu pandemic and ruined the Iraq woman?s longtime dream.
?I was saving dinar by dinar to realize my dream, and then I was told I will not be able to make it,? Rassoul, 47, told IslamOnline.net.
Rassoul was forced to abandon her hajj plans after the Iraqi government last week imposed restrictions on who may go on hajj to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia next November, in a bid to curb the spread of swine flu.
The restrictions also will prohibit people from traveling to Saudi Arabia for `Umrah, starting from the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
For Rassoul, who was diagnosed two months ago with advanced breast cancer, halting her hajj journey is especially sad.
?The trip means so much to me, especially with my diagnosis that might not give me a chance to pay this visit nest year,? she said.
In addition of a visa deny, she also was alerted by her doctor that travelling to crowded places might put her life under risk because of the chemotherapy she is going through, as she might be an easy target for the virus.
?It is a sad situation but I don?t have choice,? says Rassoul
?I will just pray for the coming year to be free of swine flu.?
The swine flu, a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses, first emerged in Mexico in April.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is moving around the globe at "unprecedented speed," with nearly 1,500 people killed since the outbreak began.
Several Muslim countries have already restricted pilgrims going to the holy places in Saudi Arabia amid fears about the risk of contagion if large numbers congregate there and then return home.
Last month, Arab health ministers agreed to ban the elderly and young children from going on `Umrah and hajj this year.
Saudi Arabia itself in June warned elderly Muslims and pregnant women against undertaking hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, because of the threat of swine flu.
More than two million Muslims perform hajj, an obligation for all able-bodied, financially capable Muslims at least once in a lifetime, every year.
Concerns
Switching Off Hajj Due to Swine Flu? (ECFR)
Swine Flu to Affect Hajj? (Read the Folder)
Swine Flu: Beware, Be Safe (Folder)
Iraqi officials affirm that the restrictions are meant to protect Iraqis from the danger of swine flu.
?We are working to prevent the spread of the disease in the country, controlling borders and keeping our eyes open on anyone who enters the country,? Ihsan Jaffar, director and spokesman for the Health Ministry?s communicable disease department, told IOL.
?It is a delicate issue.?
Jaffar added that the government is also working on awareness campaigns and is working closely with hospitals to prevent the spread of the disease.
?Through the awareness campaigns, we hope that Iraqis will also help in keeping swine flu faraway from Iraq.?
Iraq?s Health Ministry has confirmed 52 cases of swine flu in the country.
The first death from swine flu was also confirmed earlier this month for a 21-year-old woman in the southern holy city of Najaf.
Concerns of swine flu have even been fueled as the US military declared that swine flu had been diagnosed in 113 American troops in Iraq and that it suspected that scores others were carrying the virus.
Members of Parliament have expressed alarm that US troops could be introducing the disease into Iraq, particularly among members of the Iraqi military with whom they patrol.
?The information I have affirms that some infected Iraqis were in direct contact with US troops,? a member of the parliament, who asked for anonymity, told IOL.
Ashraf Harun, a secondary school teacher in Baghdad, says he realizes the officials have serious worries which led them to ban hajj and `umrah this year.
Yet, Harun regrets that his elderly mother who was to embark on hajj will have to delay her longtime dream for another year.
?My mother is very old and it may be her last chance to travel to hajj and `umrah.
?I?m not saying that they are wrong in prohibiting us from travelling to Saudi Arabia, but we are tired of having our dreams postponed.?
By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
Several Muslim countries have already restricted pilgrims going to the holy places in Saudi Arabia over swine flu.
BAGHDAD ? Nur Abdel-Rassoul was counting the days to embark on hajj, the ultimate spiritual journey for which she has been saving for years to afford.
Then came the swine flu pandemic and ruined the Iraq woman?s longtime dream.
?I was saving dinar by dinar to realize my dream, and then I was told I will not be able to make it,? Rassoul, 47, told IslamOnline.net.
Rassoul was forced to abandon her hajj plans after the Iraqi government last week imposed restrictions on who may go on hajj to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia next November, in a bid to curb the spread of swine flu.
The restrictions also will prohibit people from traveling to Saudi Arabia for `Umrah, starting from the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
For Rassoul, who was diagnosed two months ago with advanced breast cancer, halting her hajj journey is especially sad.
?The trip means so much to me, especially with my diagnosis that might not give me a chance to pay this visit nest year,? she said.
In addition of a visa deny, she also was alerted by her doctor that travelling to crowded places might put her life under risk because of the chemotherapy she is going through, as she might be an easy target for the virus.
?It is a sad situation but I don?t have choice,? says Rassoul
?I will just pray for the coming year to be free of swine flu.?
The swine flu, a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses, first emerged in Mexico in April.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is moving around the globe at "unprecedented speed," with nearly 1,500 people killed since the outbreak began.
Several Muslim countries have already restricted pilgrims going to the holy places in Saudi Arabia amid fears about the risk of contagion if large numbers congregate there and then return home.
Last month, Arab health ministers agreed to ban the elderly and young children from going on `Umrah and hajj this year.
Saudi Arabia itself in June warned elderly Muslims and pregnant women against undertaking hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, because of the threat of swine flu.
More than two million Muslims perform hajj, an obligation for all able-bodied, financially capable Muslims at least once in a lifetime, every year.
Concerns
Switching Off Hajj Due to Swine Flu? (ECFR)
Swine Flu to Affect Hajj? (Read the Folder)
Swine Flu: Beware, Be Safe (Folder)
Iraqi officials affirm that the restrictions are meant to protect Iraqis from the danger of swine flu.
?We are working to prevent the spread of the disease in the country, controlling borders and keeping our eyes open on anyone who enters the country,? Ihsan Jaffar, director and spokesman for the Health Ministry?s communicable disease department, told IOL.
?It is a delicate issue.?
Jaffar added that the government is also working on awareness campaigns and is working closely with hospitals to prevent the spread of the disease.
?Through the awareness campaigns, we hope that Iraqis will also help in keeping swine flu faraway from Iraq.?
Iraq?s Health Ministry has confirmed 52 cases of swine flu in the country.
The first death from swine flu was also confirmed earlier this month for a 21-year-old woman in the southern holy city of Najaf.
Concerns of swine flu have even been fueled as the US military declared that swine flu had been diagnosed in 113 American troops in Iraq and that it suspected that scores others were carrying the virus.
Members of Parliament have expressed alarm that US troops could be introducing the disease into Iraq, particularly among members of the Iraqi military with whom they patrol.
?The information I have affirms that some infected Iraqis were in direct contact with US troops,? a member of the parliament, who asked for anonymity, told IOL.
Ashraf Harun, a secondary school teacher in Baghdad, says he realizes the officials have serious worries which led them to ban hajj and `umrah this year.
Yet, Harun regrets that his elderly mother who was to embark on hajj will have to delay her longtime dream for another year.
?My mother is very old and it may be her last chance to travel to hajj and `umrah.
?I?m not saying that they are wrong in prohibiting us from travelling to Saudi Arabia, but we are tired of having our dreams postponed.?