Minister Shaheem states that no one was unjustly given chances for a Hajj trip outside of the long Hajj queue.
Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has stated that no one was offered the chance to embark on a Hajj trip this year after jumping the long queue of those awaiting the opportunity.
While many have been listed in the queue to embark on Hajj through the Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited for a long time, this includes people who have settled payments years ago. Complaints that certain people are unjustly issued chances to embark on Hajj outside of the queue order surface frequently.
Denying this, Minister Shaheem stated that securing slots for the government's use is a age-long practice and affirmed that such was the case even before the Hajj Corporation was incepted.
He said that this year marked the first instance where the people pressed in queue were offered more slots than the usual number of 1000 slots per year and recalled that only 700 people were offered slots from the pre-determined quota previously.
"This year, 1150 people will embark on Hajj. This is the result of the hard work proceeded under President Muizzu's instructions," wrote Shaheem on a post on Facebook.
Revealing details of people who embarked on Hajj during previous years, Shaheem said that while 400 people were sent to Hajj in 2022, no one was sent in the two years prior due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also explained that the reason for the high numbers of people listed as pending travel in the Hajj queue is due to the two year delay in sending people to Hajj during the pandemic.
"Attempting to discredit institutions instead of accepting this truth is a sad thing," he wrote in the post.
Shaheem affirmed that Maldives' Hajj agency is relatively notable compared to agencies of other countries, further adding that Maldivians should be content with the Hajj Corporation as each person is guaranteed a slot once payments are made.
He stated that other countries determine people offered the chance to embark on Hajj through a draw and that no one is guaranteed chances in those countries. Some countries also follow the practice adopted by Saudi Arabia in prohibiting people who have performed the act of Hajj in embarking on another Hajj trip for five years. This is a practice employed by those countries to secure more chances for other people to perform Hajj.
All Maldivians who are set to embark on Hajj this year are currently in Saudi Arabia. The month of Dhul Hijjah began yesterday after Saudi Arabia spotted the moon Thursday night with pilgrimage therefore slated to begin on June 14, the 8th of Dhul Hijjah. Meanwhile, the day of Arafah is slated for June 15th, with Eid-Al-Adha beginning on June 16.
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