Ministry bars 204 haj pilgrims

Ministry bars 204 haj pilgrims

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has prohibited 204
people from performing the haj pilgrimage next year for producing
fake documents.

Head of the Central Sulawesi religious affairs office Noor
Sulaiman said the pilgrims were residents of South Sulawesi, who
registered with his office using fake identity cards because all
seats for the upcoming pilgrimage, allocated for their province
of origin, were booked.

Sulaiman said the seats would be given to pilgrims on the
waiting list, which has surpassed 500 so far.

A total of 205,000 Indonesians will perform the pilgrimage in
Mecca in January 2005. -- Antara