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New Hajj booking process frustrates many foreign pilgrims

After postponing their trip for three years, many American Muslims expected a return to normalcy for this year’s Hajj, but a new online platform has brought complications.

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June 28, 2023 at 12:22 p.m. EDT
Muslim pilgrims at the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca early Wednesday, perform the farewell circumambulation or “tawaf,” circling counterclockwise seven times around the large black cube. (Abdulghani Basheer/AFP/Getty Images)
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Muslims from around the world began the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. This year, about 2.6 million pilgrims are expected in the Islamic holy city, as the kingdom has lifted all coronavirus restrictions on foreign visitors and anticipates a return to pre-pandemic numbers.

After postponing their trip for three years, many American Muslims expected a return to normalcy for this year’s Hajj, but a new online platform, launched in September 2022 to streamline the process, has introduced new complications and frustrated many pilgrims.