Minister Of Religion Optimistic Indonesia Can Depart Hajj Pilgrims This Year

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. ANTARA/HO-Kemenag/am.

JAKARTA - Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is optimistic that Indonesia will be able to send hajj pilgrims this year, although the Saudi Arabian government has yet to provide certainty whether it will open for foreign pilgrims or not.

"I am optimistic that this year the Hajj pilgrims can depart," Yaqut said, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, February 23.

Yaqut said his ministry will continue to pursue and strive to be able to depart for Hajj this year. Moreover, it has been two years in a row that we have not sent congregants along with the development of COVID-19 around the world.

Not sending pilgrims for two years has an effect on the waiting period that is getting longer. However, he is optimistic that Saudi Arabia will open the implementation of Hajj, especially since the relevant authorities have been open to Umrah.

According to him, a team from the Ministry of Religion plans to fly to Saudi Arabia to ask about the certainty of organizing the pilgrimage in the near future.

"We continue to pursue the certainty of the departure of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims this year. In the near future, the Ministry of Religion Team will go to Saudi Arabia to explore it," he said.

Minister of Religion Yaqut conveyed that technically the Ministry of Religion was ready to dispatch prospective pilgrims. However, he said, the Indonesian people must also be able to accept that later there will be quota restrictions from the Saudi Kingdom.

So that later the number of Indonesian pilgrims who departed will not be like in the year before the pandemic.

"Hopefully this year, we can dispatch pilgrims. We will continue to lobby the Saudi government, so that this year's Hajj pilgrims can be dispatched," he said.