EDMONTON — A national non-profit is worried a recent spat between the governments of Canada and Saudi Arabia may pose travel challenges for Canadian Muslims leaving for the Hajj pilgrimage.According to the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), anyone scheduled to travel to and from the country on Saudi Arabian Airlines with return dates beyond Aug. 13, should contact the airline or their respective travel agencies where the booking was made to assess alternate options for return travel.Also known as Saudia — the Gulf kingdom’s state carrier — will suspend all direct flights between Canada and Saudi Arabia next week. The move comes amidst a growing feud between the two countries.“Reports suggest that failure to confirm a return flight could mean travellers are denied boarding or denied item into Saudi Arabia,” Leila Nasr, a communications co-ordinator with the NCCM, said in an email to StarMetro. “Travellers who fail to make alternate arrangements could also be prevented from returning to Canada and risk being stuck in Saudi Arabia for an indeterminate period of time.”The Hajj — an annual pilgrimage undertaken by millions of Muslims from around the world and one of the five Pillars of Islam — takes place from Aug. 19 to 24 this year.In recent days, Riyadh suspended diplomatic ties with Canada, expelled the Canadian ambassador and recalled its own envoy to Ottawa after Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her department criticized the regime on Twitter for its arrest of social activists, demanding their immediate release.Angered by the condemnation, Saudi Arabia has also tried to sting Canada’s economy by halting future trade and investment deals and by cancelling lucrative scholarships that would have seen 15,000 of its citizens study in Canada. One media report said Saudi banks and pension funds were ordered to sell off their Canadian assets, although that report remains unconfirm ...
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