Menhaj: 50 Percent of Regular Hajj Candidates Will Follow the Murur Scheme

Illustration: Hajj Organizing Officials help Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in wheelchairs to the transit hotel for elderly safari participants / ANTARA FOTO/Andika Wahyu/foc.

JAKARTA - The Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Menhaj) Mochamad Irfan Yusuf reported that about 50 percent of Indonesian prospective pilgrims will follow the Murur Scheme as a strategic step to reduce overcrowding during the peak phase of the hajj.

According to Menhaj, this policy was taken to answer the challenge of the density of mobility flows in Muzdalifah, which has always been a crucial point and requires special handling to avoid risks to life safety.

"Murur congregations will be taken from each cluster with a number of Murur congregations of 100,930 people or about 50 percent of the total quota of regular Hajj pilgrims," said MenhajIrfan during a Working Meeting (Raker) with Commission VIII of the DPR, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, April 8.

He explained that Murur is a scheme for the movement of pilgrims from Arafah to Mina by crossing Muzdalifah using a bus without getting off the vehicle. This policy is a form of relief (rukhsah) which aims to maintain the safety of pilgrims in the midst of extreme density.

In addition to Murur, the government also implemented the Tanazul Program in Mina, which is a facility for pilgrims not to stay in Mina tents and return to hotels in Mecca. This program will be followed by 76,412 people from 196 clusters, especially those living in the Syisyah, Raudhah, and Aziziyah areas.

Menhaj Irfan emphasized that these two policies are part of the transformation of the hajj service which does not only focus on fulfilling the aspects of worship, but also on risk management and the protection of pilgrims as a whole.

"This policy is a manifestation of the principle of maintaining the safety of life as well as the actual implementation of the concept of ease or rukhsah relief in facing the challenge of extreme density," said Menhaj.

In its implementation, the Murur Scheme will use a special bus fleet from each headquarters with the escort of officers. The departure of the pilgrims will be carried out gradually starting at 19.00 Saudi time for zones 3 and 4, followed by zone 5 before midnight.

Meanwhile, the Muzdalifah and Mina Task Force will ensure the smooth process of movement of pilgrims until they arrive at their respective tents without congestion at critical points.