Indonesian Muslims start departing on annual haj
Agencies, Jakarta
Thousands of Muslims departed for Saudi Arabia on Thursday on the annual haj pilgrimage as a haj corruption scandal hit the country.
In Jakarta, Minister of Religious Affairs Maftuh Basyuni and Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa saw off 445 pilgrims who departed on a government-chartered flight from Jakarta.
Similar farewell were also bid by government officials in the regions, including in North Sumatra where 452 pilgrims made up the first batch of haj pilgrims traveling to Mecca this year. Meeting the quota set by the Saudi Arabian government, this year Indonesia would send off some 205,000 haj pilgrims, AFP reported on Thursday.
Of the 205,000, 4,825 of them left Thursday from eight out of nine designated embarkment points across the country, said Toto Sugiarto, a spokesman at the religious affairs ministry, as quoted by Associated Press.
The departures generally proceeded smoothly across the nation, with the exception being South Kalimantan where a Garuda aircraft carrying haj pilgrims suffered a puncture to one of its tires. After more than an hour's delay, the aircraft finally took off.
Almost 90 percent of Indonesia's more than 220 million people are followers of Islam.
Indonesian officials who organize the annual trips say that each pilgrim is paying around US$2,768 for a full board and transport package -- a large sum in a country where many people earn less than two dollars a day.
Earlier this year, a scandal erupted over a possible scam involving millions of dollars collected from pilgrims, with police quizzing a former religious affairs minister over the money.
Police froze the ministry's bank accounts, in which Rp 684 billion (US$71.2 million) in unused haj funds were deposited, after state auditors suspected irregularities. The investigation is ongoing.
The annual haj event is a month-long logistical challenge for the Indonesian government, which has to coordinate documentation, food and transport for the travellers.
Muslims believe the haj is a spiritual journey that cleanses the soul and wipes away sins.
The haj pilgrimage to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia is required of able-bodied Muslims at least once in a lifetime, if they can afford it.
For many Indonesians, traveling on the haj is the only foreign trip of their lifetime. On their return home, they enjoy a higher social standing and are often referred to with the honorific "Haji" before their names.
The haj season starts now and will climax on the 10th day of Zulhijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, or January 10 by the Western calendar.
The haj pilgrimage this year has been overshadowed by the fear of bird flu, with eight people being confirmed as having died of the deadly virus in Indonesia to date.
For fear of the further spread of bird flu, the government has imposed stricter screening on those who wish to participate in the pilgrimage. But, so far, no one has been refused permission to travel on account of the bird flu virus.
Bird flu is also of concern to the Saudi Arabian government as the haj pilgrimage will be participated by millions of Muslims, including those from countries where bird flu has become a problem, such as Indonesia and Thailand.