Ministry of Hajj Directed to Prepare Contingency Plans for 2026 Pilgrimage Amid Middle East Conflict
Jakarta – The Chair of Commission VIII in the House of Representatives, Marwan Dasopang, has requested the government, specifically the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj), to mitigate the worst-case risks from the 2026 hajj pilgrimage in light of the Middle East conflict.
One of the primary risks involves the possibility of not dispatching Indonesian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in 2026.
“From the safest perspective, not sending pilgrims because escalation in the Middle East cannot be predicted. From a religious psychological standpoint, that might be somewhat difficult,” said Marwan during a working session with Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochammad Irfan Yusuf, commonly known as Gus Irfan, at Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (11 March 2026).
The government needs to negotiate with hajj service providers to discuss guarantees regarding pilgrim departures.
“We urge the government to convince various service providers so that funds already paid are not lost. Force majeure should apply,” said Marwan.
“What percentage of force majeure would apply is what we want the government to pursue, so that the deposits already made do not disappear entirely,” he added.
According to him, protection for hajj pilgrims must be prioritised if escalation in the Middle East increases.
Nevertheless, he has not yet seen any announcement from Saudi Arabian authorities regarding cancellation of hajj dispatches, as occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“So as far as we’ve asked the government for information, communication with Saudi Arabia shows there is no directive preventing the hajj. Well, previously there was a Covid directive preventing us from performing hajj, but this time there isn’t. So we still have hope that the hajj can proceed,” said Marwan.
“We are constantly communicating with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and they continue to ensure that everything runs smoothly,” said Gus Irfan.
Despite the conflict in the Middle East, Gus Irfan revealed that preparations for the 2026 hajj pilgrimage have reached 95 percent completion.
“Preparations for hajj are continuing. Accommodation for pilgrims is 100 percent already rented and paid for,” said Gus Irfan.