Hajj list to be made public: Minister Shaheem

The government will publish the list of people who have paid for the Hajj and been allocated slots, Islamic minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said today.

Shaheem said the move was part of efforts to ensure transparency at the Maldives Hajj Corporation and combat allegations of corruption.

“We are working to establish a system to make public the list of those eligible for Hajj. Hopefully that will be done,” he said.

The minister rejected claims that the Hajj queue had been manipulated to favour certain individuals, or that quota allocations had been stolen.

He said quotas were always awarded in queue order, although some people gave up their slots each year without explanation.

Shaheem also dismissed allegations that government quotas were being diverted to favored families, saying it had long been standard practice to reserve places for government institutions, people with exemptions, those with special needs and assistants for elderly or sick pilgrims.

Under new rules introduced by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, priority will go to first-time pilgrims, with repeat quotas limited to once every five years.

A percentage of places will be reserved each year for those aged over 65, while Hajj employees, service providers and health professionals will be exempt from these restrictions.

The minister said the changes, to take effect from the 1447 Hajj, would ensure the oldest and newest pilgrims in the queue received priority.

Maldives Hajj Corporation typically sends 800–900 pilgrims each year, alongside support staff and assistants for elderly pilgrims.