37 வருடம் காத்திருந்தால் தான் ஹஜ்ஜு செய்யமுடியும்...இந்த வருடம் ஹஜ்ஜுக்கு செல்ல 32 லட்சம் பேர் 'வெயிட்டிங் லிஸ்ட்.இந்தோனேசிய முஸ்லிம்கள் கவலை..!!
There are 3.2 million Indonesians on the Hajj wait list, said Joko Asmoro, chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Association for Hajj and Umrah Travels.
Being the largest Muslim country with some 220 million Muslims, Indonesia faces a huge demand from its citizens eager to perform Hajj.
The process, he said, requires people to register their names for Hajj in advance to be included on the government Hajj list.
“The average waiting time for Hajj is 37 years,” said Asmoro.
“This has increased the demand for Umrah as it is less expensive and requires less waiting,” he added.
According to him, there are 3,500 travel agencies in Indonesia. However, only 668 of them are authorized for Umrah. Around 200 are authorized by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to organize Hajj. There are four airlines to carry Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
He said that there is a VVIP Hajj package where pilgrims stay in five star hotels. But this category constitutes only 7% of Indonesian pilgrims. Only 17,000 pilgrims opt for this category as it costs US$8000.
Asmoro was speaking to journalists in an iftar gathering organized Sunday by the Indonesian consulate in Jeddah.
Accompanied by Juman Nazar, vice consul for economic affairs, officials briefed reporters about the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in various fields.
Asked about the delay Hajj pilgrims face at the airport, Nazar said: “We are trying to arrange the schedules in advance and make all documents ready to avoid delay and abide by Saudi regulations. We have 3,000 officials who work in shifts to make the process efficient and smooth.”
Speaking about runaway pilgrims, he said it is not a new issue. “We are having strict procedures and we make sure that everyone is registered.”
Answering a Saudi Gazette question about Saudi tourists visiting Indonesia, he said that they have increased by 50% compared to last year.
“We receive 54,000 Saudi tourists who stay from one week to three weeks. We are expecting more visitors. Saudis do not follow travel agency schedules. They prefer to have their special arrangements,” Nazar said.
According to him, besides tickets, a one-week to 10-day stay in Indonesian may cost $1,000.
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