WATCH: Burqa-clad woman dances in front of Kaaba during Hajj, video goes viral

Hajj is the most sacred pilgrimage for Muslims, and they follow the ritual with great respect and faith. A video has surfaced on the Internet showing a burqa-clad woman dancing in front of the Kaaba in Mecca, which is the most sacred place for Muslims.

Screengrab of the viral video. Photo courtesy: Free Press Journal
Screengrab of the viral video. Photo courtesy: Free Press Journal

The video of the woman dancing in front of the Kaaba is going viral on social media, and Muslims around the world are slamming the woman for her act. The season of Hajj 2024 has commenced, and Muslims from all over the world visit Mecca and Madinah in Saudi Arabia to perform the ritual, which has been termed compulsory by Prophet Muhammad.

The burqa-clad woman is seen in the video dancing in front of the Kaaba, and in front of all the pilgrims present inside the holy mosque. Internet users are demanding strict punishment for the woman’s impromptu dance. The identity of the woman has not been revealed yet, and no reports of action against her have come to the fore. The woman covered her face with a hijab, and her face is not visible in the video.

“With the Hajj 2024 season approaching, some scenes began to violate the sanctity of this month and hurt the feelings of millions of Muslims in these blessed days, especially since these scenes were taken in front of the Holy Kaaba,” one user said.

However, the woman also received support from some social media users. One of the users defended the woman and said, “She is from southwest Nigeria from the Yoruba tribe, dancing is very important in their culture to an extent they can’t separate it from religion. May Allah guide us all.”

There are reports that around 13 million Muslims have arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj 2024, and many more pilgrims are expected to arrive in the country for the holy ritual. The Saudi government has urged the pilgrims to refrain from performing activities that have been banned by the authorities. Attorney General Sheikh Saud Al-Mojeb said, “Hajj security is a red line; those who violate Hajj rules will be prosecuted with the full force of the law.”

The Minister for Hajj also issued a statement and said, “Hajj is for worship only, not for political slogans.” He further said, “Making Dua for Palestinians, especially our brothers in Gaza, is not banned, this is completely false. What is banned is raising political slogans, be it from any country or region. ONLY the Dhikr of Allah can be raised in the Two Holy Mosques and Mosques.”

(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)