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Visa problems, management woes loom over haj handling
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Muslim worshippers gather to pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 1 ahead of the annual haj. (AFP/Hazem Bader)
J
ust as this year’s haj season is set to enter its peak, concerns have emerged among Indonesian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and people back home of mismanagement following reports of illegal pilgrimage attempts, visa cancellations and lodging issues.
According to the Religious Affairs Ministry, all 203,149 Indonesian haj pilgrims, organized into 525 flight groups, have arrived in Mecca in batches by Sunday. They are now entering a rest period to prepare physically and mentally for the peak of this year’s haj season, which begins on Wednesday with travel to Mount Arafat, followed by Muzdalifah and Mina.
"All Indonesian haj pilgrims are now in Mecca in a safe and healthy condition. "This is a great achievement that we should be grateful for together," the ministry’s secretary-general, Kamaruddin Amin, said in Mecca on Sunday as quoted from a statement from his office.
The haj is one of Islam’s five pillars and a religious duty for all Muslims who are physically and financially able. For many Indonesians, it is a once-in-a-lifetime journey that typically comes after decades of waiting due to Saudi Arabia’s quota system.
The long wait times, however, have led some Indonesians to attempt the haj without proper visas. This year, immigration officers at 14 departure points prevented about 1,080 people from leaving the country for Saudi without following official procedures.
However, some managed to slip through the cracks by entering Saudi Arabia either on a work visa or a tourist visa, instead of a haj visa. As of May 15, 117 Indonesians had been deported for such violations.
In one such case, an Indonesian man was found dead of dehydration while attempting to return to Mecca illegally through the desert after initially being denied entry.
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