Indonesian Citizens Detained Allegations Of Sexual Harassment In Saudi Arabia, Ministry Of Religion Improves The Briefing Of Umrah Congregations

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Religion Anna Hasbie. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion continues to increase briefing on travel and prospective Umrah pilgrims in response to cases of alleged sexual harassment by a Umrah pilgrim from Indonesia in Saudi Arabia.

"The Ministry of Religion's duties through the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah provide briefing to Umrah travel," said Ministry of Religion spokesman Anna Hasbie as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 24.

Anna said that so far the Ministry of Religion has always provided briefing and guidance to Umrah travel to be then conveyed to members of its Umrah pilgrims before leaving for Saudi.

Umrah travelers, Anna said, have a responsibility to their congregations to socialize and obey every applicable rule. It is intended to avoid things that are not desirable and are against the rules.

"How to organize it and the rules that must be obeyed there. Hajj alone, there are new rules, always dynamic and we inform Umrah organizers. So it is indeed his job to provide supplies to the travel," he said.

According to him, the Ministry of Religion has coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also dispatched a legal representative to provide assistance to the alleged perpetrators.

"There are already lawyers who handle it. Each has the authority, we have coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.

Previously, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was preparing legal steps to follow up on reports of an Indonesian citizen (WNI) who is now being detained in Saudi Arabia on charges of sexual harassment.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an Indonesian citizen named Muhammad Said (26 years) was detained after undergoing a trial process in which the fact that he was proven to have sexually harassed based on evidence from two eyewitnesses and direct confessions from him.

However, the Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and BHI of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha said that the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah did not receive information from the Saudi Arabian authorities regarding Said' trial.

On December 20, 2022, Muhammad Said was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 50,000 riyals (around Rp. 200 million) in this case.

The Indonesian citizen from South Sulawesi was arrested by security officers for being deemed to have sexually harassed a female member of a Lebanese congregation during tawaf at the Grand Mosque.