“The hajj of the year 1443 of the hegira takes place this summer 2022 with a daytime temperature of 46 degrees. If pilgrims walk without sandals in direct sunlight on asphalt, concrete or stone, the soles of their feet may blister and burn.” warns the Indonesian daily Compass this Wednesday, July 14. For such is the misfortune experienced by Indonesian Muslims who ventured barefoot on the pilgrimage route to Medina. The Hajj Medical Center team reported several cases of severe burns.
“The healing process takes up to 21 days, so the patient is immobilized and cannot perform the pilgrimage”, the head of the Indonesian hajj clinic in Mecca told the newspaper. The problem is compounded for people with diabetes because the nerves in their feet have lost all feeling, so they often feel neither heat nor injury. When they realize they are bleeding, it is too late.
100,051 Indonesians will have performed the hajj this year compared to 218,150 in 2019. The quota was halved following the closure of holy sites during the Covid-19 pandemic. Indonesian pilgrims nevertheless remain the most numerous, far ahead of Pakistanis (81,132) and Indians (79,237).
After these accidents, resumes Compassthe head of the Hajj Organizing Committee advised pilgrims to always wear sandals outside, and when praying, to keep them with you by wrapping them in a plastic bag: “As soon as you leave the mosque, put your sandals back on”, insists the religious leader.
It happens that at the exit of the mosque, in the jostling, some do not find their precious shoes. Fortunately, notes the Indonesian newspaper, security guards or benevolent souls distribute free replacement sandals to those who have misplaced theirs. Be that as it may, the newspaper points out, “So just one piece of advice: in Mecca, never part with your sandals”.