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Saudi's sudden 'umrah' ban leaves pilgrims heartbroken
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Umrah (minor haj) pilgrims are seen at the departure hall of Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday. Saudi Arabia has halted foreign visits to Islam's holiest cities of Mecca and Madina over coronavirus fears. (JP//Ardila Syakriah)
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audi Arabia’s decision to temporarily halt all umrah (minor haj) pilgrimages amid fears of a coronavirus outbreak shocked hundreds of Indonesian pilgrims who were left in uncertainty at airports and forced to cancel their journeys on Thursday.
Among the pilgrims was Suyato, 59, from Tangerang, Banten, who told The Jakarta Post in tears that he had only learned about the ban upon his arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at midday on Thursday.
Suyato, his wife Mujirah and his umrah group of 33 other pilgrims were initially scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia at 1.30 p.m., only to be told by his travel agent that the trip would be canceled.
"It would've been my first time performing umrah. I've been waiting for three years, but I also understand that this measure has to be taken because of the virus. I hope my trip can be rescheduled soon," Suyato said, while waiting for his children to pick him up at the airport.
Another pilgrim from Gresik, East Java, Zakaria, 57, also had no other choice but to leave the airport with her group of 36 pilgrims, who came from various cities across the country. She expected her pilgrimage, which would mark her first time visiting the holiest sites of Islam, would be rescheduled as she would still be on the waiting list for the haj until 2024.
"I'll have to return to Gresik now. I bought a return ticket for March 6, but what about now? Do I have to spend more money?" she told the Post as she made her way out of the airport.
Indonesian pilgrims who had landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates were in an even more difficult position. Some 83 pilgrims were expected to fly back to Jakarta on Friday midnight, according to Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE Nur Ibrahim.
