14,300 NTT Residents Are Still On The Waiting List For Hajj

Illustration of the pilgrimage. (Antaranews)

NTT - As many as 14,300 people in the province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are still on the waiting list to perform the pilgrimage.

"Our current position is that there are still 14,300 people on the Hajj waiting list, which means the waiting time is approximately 22 years," said Head of the Hajj and Islamic Community Guidance Division of the NTT Ministry of Religion's Regional Office, Husein Anwar, in a statement received in Kupang, Friday, May 27.

He said this was related to the current condition of prospective pilgrims in NTT who are still on the waiting list to perform the pilgrimage in the Holy Land of Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Residents who are on the waiting list still have to wait their turn according to the quota given every year.

He gave an example such as the quota for Hajj for NTT in 2022 as many as 305 people, a decrease from the previous allocation of 668 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Husein Anwar said the number of residents who are still on the waiting list is quite worrying because many of them are elderly people who are getting older.

"Elderly people are getting older every day, so it needs to be a priority for the future pilgrimage," he said.

He said that although the number of waiting lists was already large, the registration of prospective hajj pilgrims was still open according to the mandate of the law that people may register for hajj when they are 12 years old.

Furthermore, at the age of 18, you can only carry out the Hajj when it is included in the departure quota.

"Requirements for Hajj registration are enough with an ID card or family card and an initial deposit of Rp. 25 million," said Husein Anwar.