• Hajj is a religious requirement for all Muslims who can afford it.
• The cost of the once in a lifetime trip varies from about £6,000 to more than £10,000.
• Some pilgrims have already booked with tour operators online and could lose their money.

After the Saudi government imposed online booking; British Muslims intending to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca risk losing thousands of pounds. Pilgrims have been encouraged to register their interest on a website; and that a lottery will be held to determine who will go on Hajj. Some people have already made arrangements with Hajj trip providers and risk losing their money. For all Muslims who can afford it, Hajj is a religious obligation.

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Along with five daily prayers, fasting, charity, and belief in God (Allah) and Muhammad as a prophet; it is one of Islam’s five pillars. The cost of the once-in-a-lifetime journey ranges from £6,000 to over £10,000, and many Muslims save for it for years. Famida, not her true name, is a 30-year-old woman from the north west of England. She told the that she had been waiting two years to travel to Mecca with members of her extended family.

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