Umrah Pilgrims Urged to Postpone Departure Temporarily
Jakarta, 3 March – A member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Selly Andriany Gantina of the PDI-P, urged Indonesians planning to perform Umrah to postpone their departure until the security situation in the Middle East becomes safe. Speaking in Cirebon, she stated that the most important measure was to ask pilgrims to wait and refrain from undertaking Umrah while conditions in the region remain unsafe. She emphasised that the government must give serious attention to independent Umrah pilgrims who may not be fully registered by authorities, noting that they could return via transit countries rather than directly to Indonesia.
Coordination with transit countries becomes crucial, especially if such states are affected by the regional conflict. The government should coordinate with transit countries that are currently facing conflicts in the Middle East. She also called for strict scrutiny of rogue Umrah organisers who abandon pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, urging the Ministry of Hajj to sweep for problematic pilgrims and to work with the Kantor Urusan Haji (KUH) in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Indonesian representations in Jeddah (KJRI) and Kantor Konsuler (Konjen) offices there.
As for the Hajj, preparations are still underway. The initial departure phase was scheduled for 21 April 2026, with a final decision contingent on safety assurances from Saudi authorities. “We must not jump to conclusions that could harm either the Indonesian government or pilgrims who have prepared themselves meticulously,” she said.
Regarding Indonesians currently in Saudi Arabia, Selly noted that 58,000 pilgrims were initially recorded; about 6,000 have been repatriated. However, she acknowledged data discrepancies: according to the Integrated Hajj Computer System (Siskohat), 48,000 remain in Saudi Arabia. The discrepancy likely reflects independent Umrah pilgrims who have not reported or who travelled with foreign carriers via transit routes. “This data gap must be corrected, because if we started with 58,000 and 6,000 have returned, there should be 52,000, not 48,000,” she said. She suggested the Indonesian Immigration Office document pilgrims who used carriers such as Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines or Philippine Airlines that transit through other countries before returning to Indonesia.
Tengku Mohd Dzaraif stated that most stranded Hajj pilgrims are scheduled to return on Malaysia Airlines. Pilgrims who can enter the Middle East region risk being unable to exit until the scheduled time. Ichsan Marsha, spokesman for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, said that prospective Umrah pilgrims intended to depart before the Hajj season. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned drone strikes on the US embassy in the country. The US Embassy in Riyadh was reported to have been targeted by a drone attack on Tuesday, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defence.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Indonesian Association of Umrah Organisers (PPIU) agreed on 10 mitigation steps to address the impact of the Middle East conflict on Umrah pilgrims, including policies on ticket refunds and postponement of departures. The security situation in the region continues to affect the pilgrimage travel sector, and there is a need for legal and financial protections for PPIUs to prevent unilateral losses in force majeure situations. Syamsi Mufti, head of the Purwakarta Regency Hajj and Umrah Office, urged pilgrims to be cautious and maintain calm in the face of uncertainty.
ASPHIRASI, the Alliance of Hajj and Umrah Organisers Across Indonesia, said there has been no official decision on postponing Umrah departures following the Iran–US confrontation in the region.