Ismail Sabri: Malaysia to wait for Saudi's decision before allowing haj again

PUTRAJAYA: The government will wait for Saudi Arabia to announce its decision on the haj before deciding if Malaysian Muslims will be allowed to perform the annual pilgrimage, says Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said for now, the Saudi Arabia government had not made any indication on this issue.

“Once there is an announcement, the minister in charge (of religious affairs) will decide what is best in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There is no point making any decision now when we don’t know what their stand is, ” he said on Wednesday (May 20).

Singapore had announced that its Muslim citizens would not perform the annual Islamic Haj pilgrimage in Mecca this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 1, Saudi Arabia had asked Muslims to wait until there is more clarity about the pandemic before planning to attend the annual pilgrimage.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round umrah pilgrimage over fears of the virus spreading to Islam’s holiest cities.

Indonesia had asked for Saudi Arabia to decide if it would allow the annual haj.

Last year, around 2.5 million Muslims travelled to Saudi Arabia from around the world to take part in the haj.