Coordinating Minister Yusril urges Muslims to avoid non-procedural Hajj

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra has urged Muslims to avoid attempts to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in a non-procedural manner, including using visas other than Hajj visas.

“I also urge, as the government, to the Muslim community, especially those intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, to simply follow the provisions already outlined by the government,” he said when met in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The government, Yusril stated, has arranged various Hajj preparations. Performing Hajj unofficially will only harm oneself and cause problems upon entering Saudi Arabian territory.

“Do not use an ordinary passport to go to another country, then proceed to Saudi Arabia. Sometimes in Saudi, there are problems because for Indonesian passports, they require a special visa, called the Hajj visa,” he said.

He mentioned that one method of non-procedural Hajj is to first depart from Indonesia to a neighbouring country with visa-free access. Then, continue the journey to Saudi Arabia, resulting in being stranded.

According to him, this is one form of the state’s responsibility in helping the people fulfil the provisions of their religious teachings.

Therefore, he continued, all Muslims intending to perform Hajj are asked to comply with the regulations prepared by the government.

“As long as the Hajj implementation follows the official provisions from the government and the organiser is the current Ministry of Religious Affairs, the government is responsible for its Hajj pilgrims,” he said.

Previously, the Immigration Office at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, prevented the departure of 13 Indonesian citizens suspected of intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in a non-procedural manner through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“From the surveillance results, eight Indonesian citizens were found to be departing on flights to Jeddah using the method of work visas. However, after further examination, they admitted their real intention was to perform the Hajj pilgrimage without going through official procedures,” it explained.

In addition, four other Indonesian citizens also claimed to be going on Hajj using work visas without supporting documents as workers.