Impressions of the Community of Makkah on the Hajj in the Light of Covid-19 Pandemic: Quantitative and AI-based Sentiment Analyses

Abstract

Abstract. Throughout history, the community of Makkah has been known to make every effort to serve the Muslims who come to perform the Hajj ritual (Pilgrimage), the fifth pillar of Islam. However, the Hajj of 1441 H (2020) was different due to the outbreak of the new Coronavirus (Covid-19). This effect caused numerous changes in many aspects of human life in various societies, including the community of Makkah. While the people of Makkah were preparing to provide what they used to do every year to support and facilitate services for pilgrims, they had to follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health to implement many precautionary and preventive measures to avoid infection of Covid-19; most important of which is staying home. This study mainly aims to observe and analyze social-related changes that may be present or absent for the first time in the community of Makkah during the Hajj of 1441 H. Two main methods were used: AI-based sentiment analysis for a sample of tweets as well as a questionnaire for a random sample of Makkah residents.