First Sri Lankan pilgrims depart for Haj despite skyrocketing travel costs

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By Editor_1
Sri Lankan pilgrims at the country’s main airport, Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake,  before departing for their Haj pilgrimage on Tuesday (June 28) -AN
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COLOMBO – The first group of Sri Lankans departed for Haj on Tuesday (Jun 28) despite earlier plans to forgo the pilgrimage as the country confronts its worst-ever economic crisis.

Last month, Sri Lanka’s umbrella association of pilgrimage organizers said that its members would suspend operations because the cost of sending worshippers to Makkah would be too high for the country to bear.

The island nation is struggling to deal with the worst financial downturn since independence in 1948 and has already defaulted on foreign debt repayments.

But earlier in June, the government announced Muslims would be allowed to perform Haj this year provided they pay their travel costs in foreign currency.

“We are undergoing a huge economic crisis, still we want to respect the values and sentiments of the Muslims, therefore we allowed them to go even under trying circumstances,” said Religious Affairs Minister Vidura Wickremanayake.

“We are confident that their prayers will go a long way in getting us out of this crisis.”

One of Islam’s five pillars of faith, the Haj was restricted over pandemic fears to just 1,000 people residing in Saudi Arabia in 2020. The Kingdom limited the pilgrimage to 60,000 domestic participants in 2021, compared with the pre-pandemic 2.5 million.

This year, after lifting most of its coronavirus curbs, Saudi Arabia will welcome one million domestic and foreign pilgrims.

Sri Lanka, where Muslims make up almost 10% of the country’s predominantly Buddhist population of 22 million, has been allocated a quota of 1,585 pilgrims to perform Haj. But with inflation now running at over 50% , the cost is too high for many to bear and only about 960 are expected to travel.

The pilgrimage this year costs five times more than in 2019, according to Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, who oversees Haj logistics at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

“Although the quota is given, the cost of the pilgrimage this year has multiplied five times more than the cost two years ago, which was only Rs 500,000 ($1,387),” he said.

Ansar added that most of the pilgrims from Sri Lanka this year are seniors, who fear that next time they will not meet the official 65-year age limit.

“I was waiting for this opportunity for the past two years,” said Farzan Huzair, who was among the 50 pilgrims departing from Colombo on Tuesday. ”I was also afraid that I won’t be able to perform Haj after age 65.”

Huzair said that he viewed Haj as “a golden opportunity,” adding: “I collected the money over the years to fulfil my lifelong dream.”

Rizmi Reyal, who heads the Sri Lanka Haj Travel Operators Association, said that he will be praying for his country.

“All praise is due to Allah for the opportunity given for the Lankan pilgrims to perform Haj this year,” he said.

“I am going for this year’s Haj with my wife, solely to pray for my country, which is facing a severe economic crisis.”

-Arab News

 

 

 

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