Indonesian Congregants Can Return To Umrah, Ministry Of Religion: Results Of Various Government Efforts

Illustration - Director General of PHU, Ministry of Religion Hilman Latief visited the Saudi Ambassador in Jakarta, Thursday (7/10/2021). ANTARA/HO-Kemenag

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) said the green light for Umrah permits granted by the Saudi Arabian government for Indonesian Umrah pilgrims was the result of various government efforts.

"Diplomatic efforts are still ongoing, efforts to communicate with ministries in Saudi are ongoing, and trends in Indonesia are also influencing or participating in influencing the Saudi government's view of the COVID-19 situation in Indonesia," said Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religion Hilman Latief in Jakarta, quoted by Antara. , Monday, October 11th.

He added that if COVID-19 cases declined or the pandemic was getting smaller, then it would become a negotiation tool and a tool for communicating with the Indonesian government abroad to become stronger. He continued that the first Umrah departure could be done if the Saudi government had issued its technical guidance.

"This includes technical guidelines from the Government of Indonesia, protocols. This is an agreement between two countries that must agree, what is the implementation mechanism, what protocol is used, what is the guideline, what kind of system health guide is this, well these are interrelated," he said.

"So actually Umrah is open, but the protocol is how to fulfill it. I think that's the important point," Hilman added.

Hilman said the umrah permit for Indonesia was a positive capital for the implementation of the pilgrimage in the future.

"If Umrah can go well, there are not many incidents, it is controlled, the protocol is good, disciplined, this is a good capital that we can bring to get permission from the Saudi government to carry out the pilgrimage," he said.

He also hopes that the implementation of Umrah will run smoothly. He also invited them to work together and pray for the implementation of the Umrah to run smoothly.

According to Hilman, the new Umrah gate will be opened, there will be adjustments to the applicable protocol procedures, because it is still during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said there were many requirements that had to be met, particularly health protocols.

So, he said, it was not only the departure of Umrah pilgrims that needed to be considered. However, this is related to the system used to maintain the security of the pilgrims. Previously, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Retno Marsudi revealed that the diplomatic note of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta on October 8, 2021 stated, considering the period of quarantine for 5 days for the pilgrims. Umrah pilgrims who do not meet the required health standards.

In addition, the memorandum informs that a special committee in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working to minimize all obstacles that prevent the possibility of Indonesian Umrah pilgrims being unable to perform the worship.

Then, the diplomatic note stated that Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are in the final stages of exchanging technical links that will be used to explain information about COVID-19 vaccination for visitors to Saudi Arabia.