Thousands of Haj pilgrims from India complained that they were not provided with necessary facilities to enable them to perform Haj rituals in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Thousands of Haj pilgrims from India complained that they were not provided with necessary facilities to enable them to perform Haj rituals in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Indian government, via the leader of the Prime Minister’s Haj Goodwill Delegation to Saudi Arabia, has tried to address the concerns with the authorities there.
The city-based Raza Academy has meanwhile requested the Turkish government, through its consul general in Mumbai, to intervene on behalf of lakhs of Muslims who will be affected by the mandatory payment of 2,000 Saudi riyals as visa tax imposed by the Saudi government. Raza Academy has said that the tax is un-Islamic and will lead to a huge financial burden for pilgrims.
According to Aziz ur Rahman, a pilgrim from Ahmedabad, pilgrims were left on their own after reaching Jeddah and were neither provided a muallim (mandatory local operator provided by the government) nor details of transport facilities to reach Mecca. In a message sent on WhatsApp, Mr Rahman said, “Here, the pilgrims have a complaint about tour operators. We do not know who our tour operator is we have not received the train card or belt, without which we cannot travel.”
Zafar Sareshwala, the leader of the delegation, was informed of the matter and, after intervening, got the Saudi authorities to provide the required amenities to the pilgrims. “Certain arrangements are beyond the control of the Indian authorities. Yet, even in those uncharted territories, they have been coordinating with the Saudi authorities. It was just a small effort on the part of the Haj delegation to personally enquire about and see to the well-being of the Hajis,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maulana Raza Noori, president of Raza Academy, along with a delegation of Ulemas, met Erdel Sabri Ergen, the consul general of Turkey, on Tuesday about the tax imposed on Haj pilgrims. “The tax will adversely affect millions of Muslims across the world,” Mr Noori said.
Mr Ergen assured the delegation of help.
