Why Saudi Arabia Turned Back 1000 Nigerian Female Pilgrims

LONDON-In Saudi Arabia The law requires each female pilgrim under the age of 45 years to have a male sponsor during the pilgrimage journey, regardless of nationality.

According to the Saudi Arabian Pilgrimage Ministry,This rule is applied to all women in general who want to get an entry visa to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.

Many of the women who were sent back arrived in tears, some carrying babies strapped to their backs. "We are all so sad. I used my last savings to top up what my cousin provided to pay for a hajj seat, only to be treated like infidels who are not fellow Muslims," said Halima Muhammad, who spent two days in a detention centre.

"From the airport we were all rounded up and taken to a facility that is not fit for humans. No one offered us anything, we had only water and slept on bare floors," she said by phone from Katsina. Others said they spent hours in darkened planes and were sent back without disembarking.

Many Africans save for years to scrape together the £3,000 fee; rich Muslim philanthropists and politicians sponsor pilgrims each year. Approximately half of Nigeria's 160-million strong population practise Islam, making it Africa's most populous Muslim country. But women are generally free to move around on their own, even in stricter northern states that practise sharia law. All Muslims who can afford it are required to perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime, according to the five pillars of Islam.

Other African countries have faced similar woes in organising their citizens. Egypt's foreign ministry reported 12 citizens were deported daily during the pilgrimage last year. In Ivory Coast, authorities overfilled their quota last year, eventually leaving several hundred unable to undertake the trip.

Around 2 million visitors will perform the hajj this year, with Saudi Arabia rejecting requests from 40 countries around the world to increase their quotas. Each Muslim country can send 1,000 pilgrims per million citizens.