Egypt has pledged to strictly implement the rule that prevents pilgrims from repeating the Haj if they have already performed it within the previous five years.
“This decision is aimed at giving the chance to other citizens, especially low- and medium-income people, to perform the fifth pillar of Islam,” Umaimah Al-Hussaini, a senior official at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told Arab News by telephone on Thursday night.
She said 950 Egyptian Haj tourism companies responsible for more than half of Haj pilgrims have ignored this rule in the past.
Tourism Undersecretary Osama Al-Ashri said the passports of those who apply to do Haj this year will be thoroughly checked. Anyone with a Haj visa in their passports since 2005 will not be allowed to travel to the Kingdom for Haj, which takes place in mid-November. Al-Ashri said this would not affect the number of Haj visas allotted to Haj tour operators as there will be plenty of demand.
Al-Hussaini also denied rumors that Saudi Arabia had reduced the number of Haj visas for Egypt. “On the contrary, our quota which was 50,000 visas last year was this year increased to 80,000,” she said.
In order to control the crowding at the two holy cities, the Kingdom allots Haj visa quotas. Every country receives the number of visas equivalent to 0.1 percent of the Muslim population based on the most recent census data.
Islam only requires Muslims to perform Haj once by those with means to do so, but many Muslims perceive the Haj as a periodic spiritual cleansing and perform Haj more than once. Critics have argued that these repeat performers selfishly shut out other Muslims who have yet to perform Haj.
Egyptian religious scholars welcomed the decision to crack down on those who repeat the Haj.
“Haj is required only once in a life time, so preference should be given to those who have not done it before over those who have,” said Ali Abu Al-Hassan, ex-chairman of the Fatwa committee of Al-Azhar.
Chairman of the National Committee for Haj and Umrah at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jameel Al-Qurashi welcomed the decision of the Egyptian government and said it was in line with the prevailing trend in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia limits its own citizens and foreign residents to one Haj every five years.
Meanwhile, the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry Thursday said it has made all arrangements for the air transport of 125,000 Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year.
“This year approximately 170,000 pilgrims from India will be going for Haj. Out of these, 125,000 pilgrims will go through the Haj Committee of India,” said the ministry in an official statement.
“Most of the pilgrims will be flown by Saudi Arabian Airlines, National Private Air Services Company Limited (NAS) and Al-Wafeer Air, which have been selected through a sealed tender process,” the statement added.