Saudi Arabia bars Hajj old-timers

Monday, 23 August 2010 00:00 Abdulkadir Badsha Mukhtar & Aisha Umar Agae
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Saudi authorities have told Nigerian Hajj officials that people who performed the pilgrimage within the past five years will not be given visas to go to Hajj this year. In a note verbale to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), the Saudi embassy in Abuja said only first-timers and people who have not performed the Hajj in the past five years would be allowed into Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage this year, an official familiar with the matter told Daily Trust in Abuja yesterday.

The new hajj regime, according to another official, is aimed at ensuring that first-time pilgrims get the chance to perform one of the five pillars of Islam, given that about half of the pilgrims annually had been to hajj previously and they usually block the chances of first-timers.

Spokesman for NAHCON Uba Mana, when contacted yesterday, did not confirm nor deny knowledge of the new policy. He said the commission also heard “about the information, but the commission is still trying to find out.”

When contacted for comments, an official at the Saudi embassy in Abuja said he could not speak on the issue because yesterday was a public holiday.

But a source at NAHCON told Daily Trust that the commission had receive the note from the Saudi authorities but was keeping it close to its chest while talks go on to see if the Saudis could be persuaded to drop the idea. The commission was also worried that early release of the information may lead desperate people to falsify documents so as to circumvent the process.

Saudi Arabia has allocated 95,000 slots to Nigerian pilgrims this year.

The new policy is likely to affect up to about half of the intending pilgrims who paid for this year’s hajj, the source said.

NAHCON itself had earlier told pilgrims authorities in the states to dedicate 70 per cent seats allocated to them to first-time pilgrims.

The Saudi authorities last year made it mandatory for intending pilgrims to use the e-passport, and this generated suspicion that the Saudis may be planning to restrict the number of Nigerians going for pilgrimage every year. The e-passport, unlike the machine readable passport which is being phased out, does not allow people to have multiple passports.

Hajiya Amina Ibarahim Yusuf of the Nigerian Association of Hajj and Umrah Tour Operators said the Saudi government had no reason to introduce the policy because Islam has not restricted number of times people can go to Hajj. She added, however, that she did not receive any notice on the policy from either the Saudi government or the Hajj commission.

http://dailytrust.com/dailytrust/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1567:saudi-arabia-bars-hajj-old-timers&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

Me thinks the Nigerian Government should kindly hands-off from pilgrimage (whether to Jerusalem or Mecca). You can serve God (perfectly) from your room, neghbourhood, or state in Nigeria.
We need Israel to do same. And then the western countries with vacation policies. If we can't curtail the corruption, it's not a bad idea if other nations decide to help us out.

P.S: the Saudi Government claims the new policy is not aimed at Nigerians alone, but I guess we all know better.

If true. . . . . this is a fantastic move by the Saudis.

Even in Arab countries,the government doesn't subsidise pilgrimage,but in Nigeria- as usual corruption & hypocrisy reigns supreme.

Rather than spend money to fix the lingering power problems,government officials would rather spend a significant part of the country's income sponsoring themselves,friends & family to Mecca or Jerusalem.

Rubbish !

You'll most likely hear 9ja gov't excuses like: "we're trying to draw the citizenry closer to their maker" and what not. We're awaiting same from Israel.

Govt sponsorship of pilgrimages should stop because govt is wasting resources. Pilgrimages have not improved the godliness of our leaders. In fact, the sponsorship is based on man- know- man (corruption). I was surrised to learn that some big men/women ensure that their girlfriends/boyfriends get sponsorship. Naija is finished! I also know some alhajis who sponsor people every year just for biz purposes in the name of going for hajj.

Good policy by Saudi.

i guess there are a lot of new muslims performing the hajj.

oldies, make way.

Good policy.

I hope the Arabs dont back down with all the commissioners saying they have already collected money from intending pilgrims! return their money after all its government money anyway, the pilgrim is specifically for people 'who can afford it and in the right frame of mind/health' all these awoof people coming back with excess luggage and that bloody gold tooth grrrr

The arabs should go one further, remove the tooth of anyone parading the gold tooth before their return flight!

@ dis guy: na wa for u o. U no talk say make dem commot the gold case, ur own na make dem commot the whole tooth gabadaya. u too bad

One of my muslim friend traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa; he shared with me with sadness how dark skinned Africans were treated negative in Mecca , Saudi Arabia during Hajj. But now the same dark skined African is ready to be a suicide bomber for the religion of his own Arab opressor. Islam has become more Arabism than Islam, but most Africans Muslims want to overlook the Arab racism in Islam. In Islam you will always find the dark skinned Africans people subservient to the Arab light skinned ruling class.

nastydamus:

@ dis guy: na wa for u o. U no talk say make dem commot the gold case, your own na make dem commot the whole tooth gabadaya. u too bad

at least with the missing tooth we will know who to call alhaji/alhaja

Dis Guy:

<sub>stop mixing people culture with religion i know its hard but why does every crime committed by someone from the middle east or arab nation immediately link with the religion, a racist is a racist he is not racist because of teh religion but because he is just racist same goes with a despoiler, thief fraudster etc

are the dark skinned hausas subservient to the light skinned fulanis?</sub>

My guy, no one is mixing anything here. Its pretty much a shame when the Arabs are telling una to stop acting like mumu. And yes, from Dan Fodio to Yar Adua, the Hausa are subservient to their Fulani feudal rulers.