Mumbai: Only one in four of Indian Muslims desiring to perform Hajj will be travelling to Saudi Arabia this year. The 20% reduction in Hajj quota ordered by the Saudi government is causing a huge backlog of pilgrims who want to perform the “once-in-a-lifetime” ritual.
Muslim leaders have demanded an increase in quota for India as the latest census data shows a rise in Muslim population (172.2 million or 14.23% of India’s population). The Saudi government allows one pilgrim per 1,000 Muslims in a country to go for the Haj.
The Haj Committee of India said around 3.83 lakh people applied for Haj 2015 but only 1.20 lakh pilgrims are travelling through the Haj Committee to Saudi Arabia to perform the rituals in the last week of this month. Around 36,000 are using private tour operators (PTOs) to fly to Saudi Arabia. “Since 2013, the Saudi government has cut 20% quota of pilgrims from every country as the expansion of the holy mosque in Mecca is underway and the administration wants fewer pilgrims there,” said Haj Committee CEO Ataur Rahman.
Muslim leaders want India’s ministry of external affairs to take up the issue with Saudi’s Haj ministry. “Thousands of Indian Muslims who fulfill criteria to go for the Haj are being denied it as the quota has reduced. The external affairs ministry must intervene and communicate this growing concern of Indian Muslims to the Saudi authorities,” said Congress MLA Amin Patel.
“We have told the external affairs ministry to look into the issue for the last few years. Haj is one of the pillars of Islam and performing it is mandatory for Muslims who can afford it. The government should take up the issue with the Saudi authorities and get our quota increased,” former minority department minister and MLA Arif Naseem Khan said.
(Agencies)
