ABSTRACT
The Hajj event takes place in the city of Mecca, which
is highly considered holy among the Muslim world. Mecca and Medina have
numerous archaeological sites and historical sites that if well maintained can
have tremendous impact to Saudi Arabia especially the tourism industry. Though
there are concerns that are emerging, for instance, the destruction of some
major buildings and sites that are of importance to the Muslims. Hammoudi
(2006: 28) claimed that this not only affects the Muslim community but also
tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, sustainable management of Hajj
event is a pertinent issue that needs to be addressed.
The government and other stakeholders have enhanced
security standards, to make sure that the pilgrims are safe during the Hajj event.
The government of Saudi Arabia has achieved this by deployment of plenty of
security personnel who are being placed at different venues during the event.
The population during the Hajj event is very big and sometimes hard for the
security officers to take into account everything that goes on, to solve this,
the planners have increased the number of surveillance cameras, which are
placed everywhere. The cameras help the authorities in curbing major and minor
crimes.
A case study approach was used to investigate and
determine responses to various variables under study. The case study entailed
the inquiry into sustainable management of Hajj event as a tourism destination,
to benefit the local community in Mecca and Medina and promote non-oil economic
development of Saudi Arabia. Among the 40 participants, 57.5% had attended Hajj
event within the last 6 years. Majority of business people preferred carrying
out business during Hajj season with most business that facilitates Hajj
performance and pilgrimage, achieving high performance each year. In addition,
80% of participants supported infrastructure development to promote Hajj event
as a tourism destination.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the most popular and celebrated
event in the world. Muslims from all over the world do take part in this holy
event. To the Muslim community this event is regarded as a religious obligation
since it is among the five pillars of Islam. The Hajj is actually the fifth
pillar. This is an event that is celebrated annually and also considered as a
way of showing solidarity and respect to God (Allah) (Welman, Kruger, &
Mitchell 2005: 10). The annual-Hajj event has since early 2000 been considered
a tourist destination especially in Mecca and Medina.
According to the Islamic faith, any Muslim who is
physically fit and has the funds to attend the Hajj pilgrimage is advised to at
least participate once in their lifetime. The lives of Muslims at that
particular special state are known as Ihram. The pilgrimage usually takes place
in the final month of the Islamic calendar; it takes place as from 8th to 12th
Dhu-al Hijjah. This means that according to the Gregorian calendar the event
takes different turns from year to year (Fortenberry & Manley, 2009: 15).
This event is dated back many years ago since the time
of Ibrahim. The Hajj is basically about the life of the prophet Muhammad back
in the 7th century. A number of activities take place during this event, and
these activities are regarded as rituals. Hence these rituals are performed in
a sequence by the pilgrims, who gather in the city of Mecca in the province of
Mecca in Saudi Arabia to fulfil a religious duty (Berkey, 2003: 24).
It all begins around the Ka’aba, where every person is
supposed to walk seven times counter-clockwise around Ka’aba. Ka’aba is a
cube-shaped structure that acts as a guide to the Muslim prayer. Then from
there one is expected to run back and forth between Al-Safa hill and Al-Marwah
hill. They then proceed to the next ritual which is to drink from the well of
Zamzam. The next ritual to be performed is stone throwing. This is considered a
move of stoning the devil and it is done in mount Arafat, where one stands in
vigil, to condemn the devil by stoning it (Wong & Williams, 2004: 18).
The next ritual to be performed is cutting down of the
hair. Then eventually proceed to the next ritual which is the animal sacrifice
to Allah, it is also the final ritual to be performed. Eid-al Adha is a
festival that is celebrated in three days, in the entire universe. During the
pre-Islamic period different tribes from all over the Arabian Peninsula would
meet in Mecca city for the pilgrimage. The tribe did not matter at the time as
Pagans too participated in the event (Daher, 2007: 32).
IMPORTANCE OF THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE
According to the Muslim community the Hajj is an event
of great and immense value that one mutually benefits after participating in
the pilgrimage. The event since it is attended in large masses teaches us that
no one is different from the other and that we are all equal. The Hajj also is
a way of one showing his/her strong belief in the teachings and the ways of
Allah. This is virtually a symbol of commitment to Allah (Hammoudi, 2006: 14).
Mecca is a city considered being the sacred or rather
the most holy city in the Muslim world. Hence Mecca has numerous historical and
archeological sites that many Muslims get acquainted with, both spiritually and
historically. This in turn strengthens their faith, in the prophet Muhammad. It
too acts as a reminder where every person will meet on the judgment day, to
await Allah’s verdict on every person’s destiny. This event also teaches us the
value of mercy and forgiveness since we all belong to God (Robinson, Wale,
& Dickson, 2010: 16).
During the Hajj pilgrimage, Muslims dress uniformly
and follow the same instructions that are given. Prayers are also said
uniformly, at the same time, indicating that before God no one is special than
the other and that before Allah everyone is equal. It also symbolizes the
virtue of humility and devotion to Allah. This is a way of showing great faith
to Allah who is supreme to all mankind (Pimple, 2008: 20).
CHALLENGES FACING THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE
During Hajj, there are certain rituals that are
performed and one of the rituals is drinking from the Zamzam well. Producing an
enormous amount of water to millions of people actually is challenging. Saudi
Arabia is well known for producing oil it thus shows that the region is a dry
region. This is to say that if proper ways are integrated at the event that
will help to produce water for the masses it will be a tremendous help to the
Saudi government (McMillan, 2011: 25).
The other issues are how the large number of animals
sacrificed is disposed after the ritual of animal sacrifice is done. This is a
task only left to the Saudi government which clearly shows that the government
uses quite a huge sum of money to clean up Mecca city. Providing security to the
people is also another huge task to the Saudi government. Therefore, if
appropriate sustainable methods can be achieved, it will help curb the negative
aftermath of the Hajj pilgrimage (Chittick, 2007: 30).
In order to guarantee sustainability of Hajj as a
pilgrimage and religious event, there have been efforts over the years to
ensure no political process interferes with the management of Hajj. For
instance, the Hajj event is determined by religious leaders and the government
of Saudi Arabia goes according to the determination of the Muslim leaders. The
Hajj is a religious event among Muslims and if political events were allowed to
affect Hajj performance, the Hajj would lose the original meaning of a sacred
pilgrimage event. This in turn, would make the Saudi government and business
and the community fail to gain from the economic value that comes with the Hajj
event. In addition, the social norms and beliefs of the Muslims community would
be degraded. (Crofton, 2002: 22).
The above discussed issues are majorly important to
the Saudi government. Such issues are of great concern especially so because a
huge amount of money is used almost every year. This huge amount of money that
is used can help in giving back to the Saudi government and it natives, as well.
If this can be achieved, then most definitely there will be a major improvement
in the Hajj event as well as on the tourism sector of Saudi Arabia (Bhushana,
2007: 19).
IMPACT OF THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE
In order for a huge event such as the Hajj pilgrimage
to be well celebrated and a well known global event, there must have been
numerous impacts that take place or happens. Therefore, there are various
impacts that emerge before and after the event. This impact could be either
positive or negative touching on both social and economic factors to the people
of Saudi Arabia. Not only the people of Saudi Arabia but also to both Muslims
and non- Muslims (Vasil’ev, 2000: 42).
The Hajj basically impacts on the faith of the Muslim
community in that it motivates the feeling of unity among all Muslims. Hence,
incorporate the world of Muslim without looking at the race, nationality or
ones gender. This in turn, brings about unity and equality to both Muslims and
non Muslims. Again those who have attended the Hajj or rather have taken part
in the Hajj pilgrimage have an added advantage. This is to say that they are
permitted to perform other Islamic practices such as fasting and saying the
prayers (Taylor, 2009: 35).
The event however brings about the other side of the
coin. For instance, the event minimizes international practices while it
enhances the local beliefs. To some people they have different perception
towards the Hajj saying that it brings about a particular kind of Islam. There
are fears expressed as well that because the Hajj promotes a sense of
togetherness among the Muslims the non-Muslims sometimes tend to suffer. For
example, the bombers that attacked London public transport were said to have
participated in the Hajj (Allen, 2009: 37).
PROBLEM STATEMENT
According to Paneerselvam (2004: 24), being a major
global event that is attended by practically every race in the world, The Hajj
pilgrimage has some issues that need to be looked upon. The event takes place
every year therefore this means that every year the Saudi government has a
chance of managing the event to enhance the living standards of the locals and
for the nation as a whole. Most natives have a chance to make the event of
great socioeconomic importance.
Every year, the Saudi government is put to task. This
is to say that the government has to ensure that the welfare of mass population
of over two million is guaranteed. The government of Saudi Arabia has to ensure
that the infrastructure of Saudi is well established to help facilitate the
event. The government spends a lot of money just to ensure the success of the
event that takes place annually. Therefore, a lot of money will go to waste for
almost a week if there is no proper sustainable management of the event (Crane
& Weber, 2012: 34). This study seeks to determine viable opportunities for
ensuring sustainable management of Hajj event and how the event can be utilized
for tourist attraction, leading to non-oil development in Saudi Arabia.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
1.To outline the potential future of the sustainable
management of the Hajj
2.To understand the barriers and success factors and
what the event organizers face in moving the event towards sustainability
3.To understand the existing strategies of sustainable
event management, pertinent to the Saudi government’s management of Hajj
4.To determine how tourism expenditures have had an
impact on non-oil economic growth in Saudi Arabia.
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