Minister Of Religion Gives Explanation On Density In Mina During Hajj

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

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said prospective pilgrims need to be given an understanding of the density in Mina, considering that the problems in Mina are a challenge during the pilgrimage.

"For example, we need to improve the way of rituals and public communication regarding Mina's density. Congregations and the community need adequate understanding regarding the factual condition of Mina's density. If necessary, prospective pilgrims are invited to camp during rituals," said the Minister of Religion in a statement quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, August 8.

Yaqut's statement was delivered in a national working meeting (Rakernas) to evaluate the implementation of the Hajj 1445 Hijri/2024 AD in Jakarta on 7-10 August 2024.

Yaqut said understanding of Mina is important to socialize because the increase in facilities in Mina is planned to be ready in the next two years. This means that in 2025 Mina's condition may still be the same as in 2024.

The Minister of Religion explained that Indonesia this year received a quota of 221,000 people. In addition, there is an additional 20,000 quotas bringing the total to 241,000 people. This number consists of 213,320 regular hajjes and 27,680 special hajjes.

Meanwhile, the area of regular Hajj pilgrims in Mina is only 172,000 m2, so when compared to the current number of regular pilgrims, the ratio is that each person can only get an area of 80 cm2.

"This is a condition that is far from ideal because it is very crowded. Each congregation only has room to sit alone, not lie down. This must be understood by the congregation," he said.

"So from year to year, this Mina issue must have emerged. Only 2022 issues of Mina's density did not appear, because at that time the quota for pilgrims was only 50 percent," added the Minister of Religion.

In addition, the Ministry of Religion also continues to discuss with the Saudi Arabian authorities so that the latent Mina density issue can immediately find a solution.

"This includes allowing the implementation of the tanazil scheme in a systematic and planned manner," he said.