Claim: Saudi Arabia banned Pakistani women and children from performing Hajj in 2025.
Fact: Saudi Arabia issued specific guidelines for pilgrims heading for Hajj in 2025. People with advanced kidney or heart failure, chronic lung diseases, advanced liver cirrhosis, severe neurological and psychological conditions, and active infectious diseases, as well as cancer patients, elderly individuals suffering from dementia, and children under the age of 12 are prohibited from performing the pilgrimage. Women in the last two months of their pregnancy or with high-risk pregnancies at any stage are also barred. Moreover, vaccination is mandatory for neisseria meningitidis, COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and polio.
On 30 August 2024, City 41, a Faisalabad-based news channel, posted (archive) a video on YouTube, alleging that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has banned women and children from performing Hajj. The text in the clip’s thumbnail reads:
“بچے اور عورتیں حج نہیں کریں گے
[Children and women will not perform Hajj]”
“سعودی حکومت نے بڑی پابندی لگادی
[The Saudi government imposed a major ban]”
Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to the Kaaba, is expected to be observed from 4 to 9 June 2025 in the Gregorian calendar, which corresponds with the five-day period from 8 to 13 Zil Hajj, the 12th month in the Islamic lunar calendar. The dates, however, may vary slightly according to moon sightings.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check browsed the website and social media accounts of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, where we found a document (archive) titled “Health requirements and Guidelines for Hajj Pilgrims for Hajj Season 2025”, most of which appear to be aimed at ensuring people’s mobility and their ability to perform Hajj without needing someone to take care of them.
According to the document, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umra “has issued health requirements and guidelines for the Pakistani Hajj Pilgrims for Hajj Season 2025 and emphasized that counties [sic] from which pilgrims are departing must ensure compliance” with the said criteria.
The health criteria advises that people with the following conditions are ineligible to participate in Hajj:
- Advanced kidney failure
- Advanced heart failure
- Chronic lung diseases
- Advanced liver cirrhosis
- Severe neurological and psychological conditions
- Active infectious diseases
- Mandatory Vaccination: Neisseria meningitis vaccine, SARS-CoVs-2 Corona (Covid-19), Seasonal Influenza Vaccine, Poliomyelistis [sic] vaccination
Elderly people suffering from dementia, active cancer patients currently undergoing chemotherapy, women in the last two months of their pregnancy or those with high-risk pregnancies at any stage, and children under the age of 12 are also not permitted to perform the pilgrimage.
A copy of the document is available below:
The document further stated that the new requirements and guidelines “will also be incorporated in Hajj Policy & Plan 2025”.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony also posted the advisory on its Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts, writing:
“سعودی وزارت حج و عمرہ کی جانب سے مذہبی امور کو حج 2025 سے متعلق ہیلتھ ایڈوائزری موصول۔ مراسلے کے مطابق پیچیدہ امراض میں مبتلا افراد کو سفرِ حج پر روانہ نہیں ہو سکیں گے۔ شدید موسم کے پیش نظر صرف تندرست و توانا عازمین کو سفرِ حج کی اجازت دی جائے گی۔ گردہ ، دل، پھیپھڑے، جگر اور کینسر کے پیچیدہ مریضوں ڈیمنشیا، متعدی امراض کے حامل افراد، 12 سال سے کم عمر بچوں اور حاملہ خواتین کو سفرِ حج کی اجازت نہیں ہو گی. عازمینِ حج کیلئے گردن توڑ بخار، کرونا، موسمی انفلوئنزا، پولیو ویکسین لگوانا لازم ہو گا: ترجمان مذہبی امور
[The Ministry of] Religious Affairs has received a health advisory related to Hajj 2025 from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra. According to the letter, people suffering from complex diseases will not be able to go for the Hajj. In view of severe weather, only healthy and energetic pilgrims will be allowed to perform the Hajj. Patients with kidney, heart, lung, liver and cancer complications, dementia, people with infectious diseases, children under 12 years of age and pregnant women will not be allowed to perform Hajj. It will be necessary for Hajj pilgrims to get meningitis, corona, seasonal influenza and polio vaccines: spokesperson for [the Ministry of] Religious Affairs]”
Some local media outlets also reported on the same here, here, and here.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, rates the claim as misleading.
Virality
The YouTube video posted by City 41 has been viewed over 82,000 times so far.
The channel also posted the same on its Facebook page twice — here and here — where it garnered more than 19,000 and 3,400 views, respectively, as of writing time. The caption of the latter is “Ban On Performing Hajj”, while the thumbnail has the text “حج کرنے پر پابندی عائد !! [Ban imposed on performing Hajj!!]”.
Conclusion: Saudi Arabia has not banned all Pakistani women and children from performing Hajj in 2025. The kingdom has issued specific guidelines, stating that people with advanced kidney or heart failure, chronic lung diseases, advanced liver cirrhosis, severe neurological and psychological conditions, and active infectious diseases, as well as cancer patients, elderly individuals suffering from dementia, and children under the age of 12 are prohibited from performing the pilgrimage. Women in the last two months of their pregnancy or with high-risk pregnancies at any stage are also barred. Moreover, vaccination is mandatory for neisseria meningitidis, COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and polio.
Background image in cover photo: Sulthan Auliya
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