Indonesia seeks Saudi help over suspension of entry for Umrah pilgrimage

Umrah pilgrims sleep after the cancellation of the departure to Mecca, following the Saudi government's temporary ban announced on Thursday to keep the country safe because of coronavirus outbreak, at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Tangerang near Jakarta, Indonesia February 27, 2020 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Muhammad Iqbal/ via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's foreign minister on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia to allow its citizens to continue their Umrah pilgrimage after hundreds were stranded at Jakarta airport when the kingdom suspended foreign entry for the Umrah over coronavirus concerns.

Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim-majority country and it often sends around 1 million people on the Umrah pilgrimage every year in the kingdom, which hosts the two holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina.