Saudi Arabia raises RI's hajj quota to 221 thousands

Jakarta, NU Online
Saudi Arabia has raised Indonesia's hajj quota to 221 thousand pilgrims in 2010 from 211 thousand pilgrims previously, a Religious Affairs Ministry official said.

The new hajj quota was 14 thousand lower than Indonesia had earlier sought, Abdul Ghafur Djawahir, secretary of the ministry's directorate general hajj and minor hajj, said here on Thursday.<<>br />
"After all, we must be thankful to God for the increase in our hajj quota," he said.

Zainal Abidin Supi, director of hajj services at the ministry, said the Saudi ambassador to Indonesia informed Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali of the new hajj quota during a meeting at the latter`s office here on Wednesday.

Supi said the ministry had yet to decide how to allocate the additional quota to would-be hajj pilgrims who are now on the waiting list.

He said an estimated 30 thousand would-be hajj pilgrims with special facilities were now on the waiting list, not to mention those with ordinary facilities.

To be sure, the additional quota would reduce the number of would-be hajj pilgrims on the waiting list, he said.

By August 18, 2010, a total of 190,184 would-be hajj pilgrims had settled their hajj pilgrimage cost, he said.

The figure consisted of 174,487 would-be hajj pilgrims with ordinary facilities and 15,697 with special facilities, he said. (ant/dar)