Saudi Arabia has announced new rules for pilgrims. Whether they are coming from inside the Kingdom or from other countries, pilgrims have been seen using mobiles during the call of prayer (Azan). Saudi Arabia has warned the public against playing or turning up the volume of music inside residential areas during Azan and Iqamah (the first and second calls to prayer, respectively), saying it is punishable by law.
“Anyone who is caught playing ‘music’ of any kind during the call of prayer from mosques will now be fined SAR 1000 (Rs46,730) for a first-time violation and if violation repeats SAR 2000 (Rs93,461) will be charged,” announced the Twitter account of Haramain Sharifain.
The Saudi Arabian government has also introduced a new fine ranging from SAR 250 to SAR 500 for anyone wearing shorts inside mosques or government offices.
However, the government has clarified that men wearing shorts in public won’t be considered a violation of public decorum, except in mosques.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah issued new guidelines for Umrah pilgrims. All pilgrims will have to get the status of their vaccination checked six hours before performing Umrah.
It made negative PCR test reports compulsory for pilgrims. The test should be taken no more than 48 hours before arrival even if they are vaccinated.
There were 19 violations on the list of public etiquette violations approved in 2019. With the new decision, the list of public etiquette violations now stands at 20.
