The government has taken preparations so that the intending Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims do not face dollar crisis, said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan on Thursday. He was talking to reporters after attending the Deputy Commissioners Conference 2023 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital. Read more: 1918 pilgrims perform hajj at government's cost since 2014: State Minister Asked whether there is enough dollars in reserve for 27,000 pilgrims this season, the state minister said no such situation has been created in Bangladesh yet. “Bangladesh’s condition is still stable.” Regarding the propaganda over religion in textbooks, he said if there is anything controversial about religion in the textbooks, it must be removed. Read more: No increase in Hajj package this year, says minister The Ministry of Education has already formed two committees to investigate the matter. After the work of this committees, there remains an opportunity to do what are need to be done, he added. “It's a way to destroy communal harmony by spreading huge propaganda about a trivial matter. These are spread before the elections. There is no time to allow such things,” said the state minister.

Registered intending pilgrims aged over 65 will not be allowed to perform Hajj this year, said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan on Monday. “People aged above 65, who have already completed registration for Hajj cannot go to Saudi Arabia this year. The Saudi government has made the decision not only for us but also for the whole world.”   Also read: All preparations taken to ensure smooth hajj management: State Minister He came up with the information while answering to questions from the journalists at a discussion titled ‘Digital Transaction in Nagad Islamic Financial Management’. Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) organised the discussion at the Secretariat.  The state minister said holy Eid-ul-Azha  will be observed on July 9 (depending on the moon sighting). This year, a total of 57 thousand 856 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj from Bangladesh.   He said, “Pilgrims could not perform Hajj in the last two years. By the blessings of Allah (God), we are going to perform Hajj this year. We will complete a bilateral agreement in this regard with Saudi Arabia soon.” Faridul Haque said his ministry is working on the holidays including Friday and Saturday to ease the Hajj process within only 34 days as the time is too short this year.   Also read:57,856 Bangladeshis to perform hajj this year BSRF President Tapan Biswas presided over the programme while Nagad Executive Director Mohammad Aminul Haque, Nagad Islamic Shariah Supervisory Committee Chairman Prof HM Shahidul Islam Barakaty, Islamic Foundation’s Imam Training Academy Director Md. Anisuzzaman Sikder, among others, spoke on the occasion. Masudul Haque, general secretary of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum moderated the discussion.

As Hajj management in 2022 will be technology based, necessary training will be given to pilgrims and others concerned , said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan on Tuesday. “Pilgrims will perform hajj using different apps due to Covid-19 pandemic and currently Umrah activities are being performed by using apps in Saudi Arabia,” he said at a programme over Hajj management at the conference room of the ministry. The junior minister also said that the Saudi government also expressed its firm expectation that the Hajj will be held in 2022 due to improvement in Covid situation. Concerned officials, guides, representatives of Hajj agencies and pilgrims will be made aware of technology use in Hajj management and steps will be taken to give them training , he said.

Md Faridul Haque Khan, an Awami League MP from Jamalpur-2 constituency, is scheduled to be sworn-in as the state minister for Religious Affairs.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Sheikh Md Abdullah died at a Dhaka hospital on Saturday night, minutes after he was taken there.

A total of 1,37,198 pilgrims will go to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh this year for performing hajj.