Saudi Arabia's Pilgrimage Infrastructure: Commodifying Sacred Journeys Through Technological Control

As millions prepare for Ramadan Umrah pilgrimages, Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Passports has intensified operations across international entry points, deploying what officials describe as an "integrated operational system" combining personnel training and advanced surveillance technologies. This systematic approach to managing religious pilgrimage raises critical questions about the commodification of sacred practices and the Kingdom's broader project of legitimising authoritarian governance through religious tourism.

Technological Surveillance Masquerading as Service Enhancement

The Saudi state's emphasis on "smart systems" and "advanced electronic technologies" reveals a concerning trend toward digital monitoring of religious practitioners. Major Nasser Al-Otaibi, spokesperson for the Passports Directorate, frames these surveillance mechanisms as service improvements, claiming they enable "faster entry and exit procedures" and "smooth movement at all ports."

However, this technological infrastructure serves dual purposes: whilst ostensibly facilitating pilgrim experiences, it simultaneously creates comprehensive databases tracking the movements and identities of millions of Muslims worldwide. The "integrated technical system" Al-Otaibi describes operates within Saudi Arabia's broader surveillance apparatus, raising serious concerns about privacy rights and religious freedom.

Extractive Religious Tourism and Neocolonial Control

The Kingdom's aggressive expansion of pilgrimage infrastructure must be understood within the context of Vision 2030's economic diversification strategy, which seeks to reduce dependence on oil revenues through religious tourism extraction. The reported 904,000 Umrah performers recorded on a single day during Ramadan represents not merely spiritual gathering, but a massive economic enterprise generating billions in revenue for the Saudi state.

This commodification of sacred Islamic practices perpetuates neocolonial dynamics, positioning Saudi Arabia as the exclusive gatekeeper to Islam's holiest sites whilst extracting wealth from predominantly Global South Muslim communities. The emphasis on "processing times" and "operational efficiency" reduces pilgrims to economic units within a profit-generating system.

Legitimising Authoritarianism Through Religious Hospitality

The Saudi regime's investment in pilgrimage infrastructure serves as a legitimacy-building exercise, attempting to position the Kingdom as Islam's natural leader whilst obscuring its systematic human rights violations. The "humane approach" Al-Otaibi claims passport personnel adopt contrasts starkly with Saudi Arabia's treatment of dissidents, women's rights activists, and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

The "single system" approach Al-Otaibi describes integrates security and service functions, normalising surveillance as hospitality. This operational model extends Saudi state control beyond its borders, monitoring and potentially influencing Muslim communities globally through their participation in religious obligations.

Marginalised Voices and Excluded Communities

Notably absent from official narratives are the experiences of marginalised pilgrims, including those from sanctioned countries, refugees without proper documentation, and individuals whose identities conflict with Saudi Arabia's rigid social hierarchies. The Kingdom's visa policies systematically exclude many Muslims whilst privileging those from wealthy nations or approved political systems.

The reported 122 million visitors during Ramadan 2025 represents a carefully curated demographic, filtered through Saudi Arabia's discriminatory visa processes that effectively deny pilgrimage access to many believers based on nationality, economic status, or political affiliation.

Resisting Commodification of Sacred Practices

As Muslim communities worldwide navigate their relationship with Saudi-controlled pilgrimage sites, critical examination of these power structures becomes essential. The Kingdom's technological and infrastructural investments, whilst improving certain logistical aspects, fundamentally transform pilgrimage from spiritual practice into commodified experience.

True decolonisation of Islamic sacred spaces would require dismantling the exclusionary systems that prioritise profit over spiritual accessibility, ensuring all Muslims regardless of economic status, nationality, or identity can access their religious obligations without subjecting themselves to authoritarian surveillance and control.