Indonesia Gets 100,051 Hajj Quota This Year: Ministry

TheIndonesia.id - The Ministry of Religious Affairs has confirmed that 100,051 pilgrims from Indonesia will go to hajj pilgrimage this year after national quota was confirmed.

Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas confirmed that Indonesia’s hajj quota has been confirmed and that Indonesian pilgrims are allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for their religious ritual this year.

“Alhamdulillah, due to our efforts and prayers, we will send 100,051 hajj pilgrims and 1,901 officers this year,” Qoumas said Tuesday, April 19, as reported by Antara.

The Minister also revealed that the first batch of pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia on June 4.

This will be the first hajj departure since Indonesia suspended sending pilgrims in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Chairman of Commission VII of the House of Representatives Yandri Susanto previously said hajj quota for Indonesia set by Saudi Arabia is the largest among other countries even though the figure is only about 48 percent from the 2019’s quota.

“It appears that Indonesia gets the most quota globally, so we need to appreciate this. Even though there’s age limit [of 65], we can solve this through communications with the Ministry’s regional office across Indonesia,” Susanto commented.

According to him, the cost for hajj that must be paid by pilgrims this year is Rp39.8 million (US$2,800), increasing from Rp35 million in 2020.

However, Susanto assured that pilgrims who failed to travel in 2020 won’t have to pay additional costs.

“Even though [the government and the House] have agreed on Rp39.8 million, hajj pilgrims won’t have to pay more – even one rupiah. This is our commitment,” Susanto concluded.