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Islamic scholars have called upon Muslims to delay performing Umra as concerns over the spread of swine flu continues around the world. Some hinted that the annual Hajj should also be considered for cancelation as a precaution for the spread of the infection among Muslims performing the pilgrimage.
Both Hajj and Umra involve a pilgrimage to Makkah, with Umra being an optional ritual that Muslims could perform any time of the year while Hajj is a manditory ritual to be performed at least once in a lifetime by any able Muslim during a specific time of the Islamic lunar calendar.
The debate started when Sheikh Ali Abu Elhassan, advisor to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, stated that Hajj and Umra can be delayed if spread of swine flu infection is feared, CNN Arabic reported.
A similar call was made by the Egyptian Health Minister, Dr. Hatem El-Gabaly, who urged Egyptians to postpone performing Hajj and Umra this year if possible. According to Masrawy.com, El-Gabaly asserted that all those who do will be put in quarantine on their return from Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Ali Gom’aa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, called upon all fiqh councils to work hard until they come up with a united fatwa that presents the Islamic stance on whether or not it is permissible to delay Hajj and Umra due to swine flu.
He explained that after experts and officials in the areas of health, environment, and agriculture present their reports, the role of Islamic scholars will begin and Muftis will be able to have their say based on the information provided. He stressed that the preservation of human life and protecting mankind from disease is one of the goals of the Islamic Shari’ah.
Sheikh Nouh Soliman, the Grand Mufti of Jordan, asserted that the decision of delaying or prohibiting Hajj and Umra due to swine flu has to do with Saudi Arabian scholars and medical personnel. This decision, he said, should be based on whether the Saudi authorities will provide quarantine for people coming from infected regions, or whether a hold will be put on people coming from those regions.
Still Not a Risk
"This is a decision that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should make," Dr. Mustafa Urkhan, the President of Influenza Center at the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of WHO, told IslamOnline.net (IOL).
Urkhan explained that until now going to perform Umra or Hajj is not considered a risk. He further explained that suitable measures can be taken to ensure a maximum degree of safety for the people attending. He cited as examples the close monitoring of airports to avoid the admission of infected people into the country, as well as providing a sufficient amount of medical supplies.
"The good news is that the virus cannot withstand the high temperature in Saudi Arabia, even during the time of Hajj which will be in November this year," commented Urkhan.
"The problem will be in closed areas because of the presence of central air conditioning which will promote the spread of infection if someone is infected," he explained.
Urkhan also pointed out that if some people there did catch any form of flu during these rituals, this might cause panic among others as they won't be able to immediately determine which type of flu it is.
As of this writing no official statement has been made by Saudi authorities on whether they will take exceptional measures in response to the swine flu threat. IOL was also not able to reach anyone from the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to comment on this issue.
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