Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses | Zawya

* Pilgrim numbers down to 1.85 mln from nearly 3 mln

* Construction, regional crises and fewer Iranians to blame

* Cheap oil hits economy, domestic pilgrims down by half

* Pilgrims, senior cleric hit at perceived price gouging

Saudi authorities say only about 1.86 million pilgrims, including around 1.3 million coming from outside the country, are attending this year's haj, down from peak figures that approached 3 million a few years ago.

:ohmy:

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

What does that mean?

Abu Dhabi is dead though, came back from hols and its like a ghost town. (When isn't it?)

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

They're all here in KL instead - the place is absolutely rammed, with minibus load after minibus load of abaya-wearing ladies arriving outside the big malls and later disgorging outside their hotels amongst mountains of shopping bags :blink:

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

I was there this weekend - sadly on the dry night. It was certainly dead.

24% of tax on hotels is nuts.

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

I hate the Saudi m o f o's with a passion

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

they are your masters. you can't say that. ;)

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

Vision 2030 will take care of all of the problems, world leaders have been praising the Vision since it was revealed

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

:amen:

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

Yup. Hatefully expensive addition to prices down there.

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

But this is not the real exciting news of this year's Haj. The real exciting news of this year's Haj is that the British ambassador to saudi, himself performed Haj this year. Quit an embaresment, right?

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

The only embarrassment here is the fact that despite living in an English language based country, you still are a baboon on a keyboard, figuratively as well as literally!

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

But he converted to Islam, and that's one of the 5 pillars, so what would be an embarrassment is if he didn't, as it would show he wasn't taking his faith seriously enough.

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

No, because you obviously fail to understand the concept of hypocrisy (which you accused the UK of exhibiting). What he's done is the very opposite of hypocrisy: the UK allows people to follow whatever faith they wish (or none at all), which is precisely what the Ambassador is doing.

There was a man whipped in Saudi recently, for proclaiming that he did not believe in god. And yet you, and countless others including the old farts who preside over the Magic Kingdom, shout that Islam is the religion of peace. Try telling that to the guy who's just been whipped. That's hypocrisy, and if you had any decency you'd be embarrassed, but we all know that's too much to expect of you.

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

You know something, you are too tempting to put you on my ignore list because you make good materials for my jokes.

Now regarding my English, it may not be good enough for the english folks, but at least I don't shamefully lick their asses begging for acceptance. Do you see the difference?
Anyway, I feel like a coconut for dessert today. Thanks for reminding me!!

Re: Haj slowdown hits Saudi businesses
 

For openminded people, you are right, it's normal, but for those who only view islam as doom and gloom, it is an embarrassment