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Minister advises Muslims to go on haj only once to reduce queue
The long haj queue leads to a high number of elderly pilgrims, who put their health and lives at risk during the pilgrimage to Mecca, according to Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy.
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A handout photo released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on June 25, 2023, shows an aerial view of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, at Mecca's Grand Mosque during the annual haj pilgrimage.
(AFP/SPA)
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senior cabinet minister has advised Indonesian Muslims to go on the haj only once in their lifetime in a bid to alleviate the long queues faced by people intending to go on the religious pilgrimage.
Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy conveyed the advice based on his concern over the health of elderly Indonesian pilgrims. The minister hopes that limiting citizens to a single pilgrimage in their lifetime could significantly reduce the waiting times.
The world’s largest Muslim-majority country has always struggled to manage demand for the haj despite receiving the largest quota from Saudi Arabia, which amounts to 221,000 pilgrims. Recent data from the Religious Affairs Ministry showed that a person applying for the haj this year would have to wait 11 to 47 years before going, depending on the quota in each city or regency.
“There are more elderly pilgrims because of the long queues, and this is a serious problem,” Muhadjir said in a statement recently. “We need to address this issue because elderly pilgrims are more prone to health issues.”
Official data revealed that nearly 45 percent of pilgrims going on the haj this year are over 60 years old. The Religious Affairs Ministry also recorded that 773 pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia this year, the majority of whom were elderly participants.
Elderly pilgrims have a greater risk of health issues and death than their young counterparts because of their vulnerability to sepsis, cardiogenic shocks and coronary heart disease, the religion ministry data further stated.
The haj is the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy city of Islam. It is a religious obligation for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the pilgrimage. Islam requires each person to go once in their lifetime, although there are no restrictions on undertaking it multiple times.
