- Rachel Banu
- BBC News
1 hour ago
The Saudi authorities have informed pilgrims in Britain to register their desire for Hajj through a website, and a lottery will be held to choose who will go to perform the Hajj.
British Muslims, who are looking to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year, fear losing thousands of pounds following the Saudi government imposed online reservations for those wishing to perform the pilgrimage.
The authorities informed the pilgrims to register their desire for Hajj through a website, and that a lottery would be held to choose who would go to perform the Hajj.
But there are some Muslims in Britain who have already booked travel to Saudi Arabia through Hajj tour operators, exposing them to a losing streak of money.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it is an obligation for every able Muslim and for those who are able to do so.
The cost of the trip, which is imposed on a Muslim once in his life, ranges from £ 6000 to more than £ 10,000, and many Muslims spend years saving this amount in order to take it.
Fameda, who is not her real name, tells the BBC, in her thirties, who lives in northwest England, that she has been waiting to go to Mecca with her extended family for two years.
She had already registered her desire to go to Saudi Arabia through a local travel agent and was very enthusiastic regarding fulfilling an important pillar of her religion.
Fameda said she was “sad” to learn that she and her husband would have to book the visit online.
“It was so upsetting it really made us cry,” she added.
Fameda was also not sure regarding the use of the new digital reservation system. She emphasized that she did not know what kind of service they would receive, whether they might visit all the holy religious sites, how much the trip would cost, and to whom we might file a complaint if something went wrong.
Despite her fears, she submitted the Hajj electronically and put her and her husband’s name through the digital portal to say that she wants to perform the Hajj in a few weeks, but is worried regarding the time she will have to prepare for it.
“If I thought regarding it practically, I wouldn’t go for the pilgrimage,” she says. “I have children in school, who go to play football, cricket, and religion lessons.”
The head of the Parliamentary Group for Hajj and Umrah in the British House of Commons, Yasmin Qureshi, sent a letter to the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, requesting to postpone the work of the new system until next year.
In her letter, seen by the BBC, Yasmine asked if the money received by Saudi service providers would be refunded. She also said she was concerned that Muslims who postponed the Hajj pilgrimage in 2020 risked significant financial losses if they did not perform the Hajj this year.
It is also concerned regarding how pilgrims’ money will be protected under the new system, and what measures will be taken to protect them.
“Definitely for this year, don’t use the portal system because it won’t work. Who do you complain to if things don’t go right?” Qureshi added.
It is also unclear how many Hajj visas will be allocated to British pilgrims. Previously, regarding 25,000 visas were issued each year.
picture released, MOHSIN SHAH
Mohsin Shah, a travel agent in Manchester, was to take 48 pilgrims to Mecca later this month
Figures in Arab media reports indicate that this number can now be halved.
There is also concern among travel agents in Britain who specialize in organizing Hajj trips, because they will lose financially.
Mohsin Shah, a travel agent in Manchester, and his partner in London were scheduled to take regarding 48 pilgrims to Mecca later this month.
He said that all pilgrims now have to re-book their visit online and he did not know how many would actually get a travel visa.
Shah was paid 9,500 pounds for a pilgrimage package per person, which included five-star accommodations and payments to hotels and transport providers in Mecca.
“It’s a big (financial) impact[on us]because we’re not sure what’s going to happen and how we can arrange that because the hotels are booked and so is the transportation,” Shah says.
There are 3.72 million Muslims in Britain, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. All pilgrims from Europe, America and Australia must use the new online portal to book the Hajj.
The BBC has contacted the UK’s Authorized Hajj Organizers, an independent watchdog, as well as the British Pilgrims Council in Britain for comment. The Saudi government was also asked to comment.
