Rano recounts journey home from Umrah amid Middle East conflict

Jakarta — Deputy Governor of Jakarta, Rano Karno, recounts his journey back to Indonesia after performing Umrah amid the Middle East conflict sparked by the war between Iran, the United States and Israel. ‘Inshallah for pilgrims undertaking Hajj or Umrah who travel by direct flights, it will not be disrupted,’ Rano told reporters at City Hall on Thursday. However, those transiting through Qatar and through Abu Dhabi have all had their journeys halted. ‘This is what yesterday meant—more than 38,000 of our pilgrims could not return, waiting,’ he said. Rano only arrived back in the country on Wednesday (4 March). He said that three airlines could operate direct journeys without transit: Saudia Airlines, Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia. On the way home aboard Garuda Indonesia, he said, many foreign nationals also travelled with him. There was even a man from Doha who took a taxi to Riyadh at a fare of almost 28 million. ‘Then he boarded a Garuda aircraft,’ he added. Rano said his Umrah was relatively safe because the areas from Madinah to Makkah were secure. He hopes the conflict will ease in the future, allowing people wishing to perform Umrah and Hajj to undertake their rites peacefully. ‘Although day by day I keep up with the news there, Inshallah Makkah and Madinah are relatively safe, with no problems,’ he said. He hopes the fighting will end soon. ‘Let us pray that the fighting can be resolved soon,’ Rano said.