The stalls that Makkah Mayoralty rented out in Mina during Haj recorded no losses during the past days as they witnessed a brisk business despite traders' fears about the financial crisis. Shabbir Mubeen, for example, an Indian expatriate whose sponsor rented a stall and let him manage it, could not believe that he had made about SR100,000 in three days by selling hot water, bread and fruit to pilgrims. “Haj is the season of Halaal earning and business. I thought about working in Haj 10 years ago and finally succeeded with my sponsor in renting a place this year.” “One cannot lose doing business during Haj. We sell foodstuff and make our plans to work in this season months in advance. However, you need a budget of nearly half a million riyals,” said a stall renter, Nasir Al-Abdali, with evident satisfaction on his face. Yet, he said, the rents this year were higher and the stalls were the same as they had been since they were first set up, that is, not improved. Fahd Al-Shareef, who rented a place, said: “We cannot hope to compete with expatriates and achieve a similar income. Seventy percent of them work illegally under the names of their sponsors for 24 hours, and the income is completely theirs.” Al-Shareef has a stall where he sells foodstuff with three of his sons.
