hajj
Preparations taken as hajj pilgrims don’t face trouble for dollar crisis: State Minister
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.
1918 pilgrims perform hajj at government's cost since 2014: State Minister
State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan on Sunday told Parliament that a total of 1981 people were sent to Saudi Arabia to perform the holy hajj at the government's cost since 2014.
He said this replying to a tabled question from Awami League lawmaker Didarul Alam after the day's sitting of the House started with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair in the afternoon.
The state minister however said none was sent to hajj in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Also Read: Biman to use own aircraft for Hajj flights this year
In 2014, the government started a programme to send a certain number of Muslims to Saudi Arabia for performing hajj at lowest package price, he said
Among 1918 who performed hajj at government cost, 125 people were sent in 2014, 268 in 2015, 283 in 2016, 334 in 2017, 340 in 2018, 314 in 2019 and 254 in 2022.
Biman to use own aircraft for Hajj flights this year
Biman Bangladesh Airlines will use its own aircraft this year for operating Hajj flights instead of leasing planes.
“As we don’t benefit from the leasing process, we have decided to use our own aircraft for Hajj flights,” Shafiul Azim, CEO and managing director of the national flag carrier, told UNB.
Biman authorities discussed the decision at an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday.
Read more: Mecca Route Initiative agreement to make Bangladeshi pilgrims' journey easier: Shahriar
“We are preparing in advance to ensure smooth operation of Hajj flights,” the Biman CEO said.
The decision follows the airline’s experience from last year’s Hajj flights. It used four of its widebody planes for last year’s Hajj flights.
Md. Faridul Haq Khan, state minister for religious affairs, told UNB that Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudia Airlines will carry 50 percent of Hajj pilgrims each this year.
Read more: Route to Mecca: MoU signed to make Bangladeshi pilgrims' Saudi visits easier
“According to the Saudi-Bangladesh Hajj Treaty of 2023, Bangladeshi pilgrims can perform Hajj this year as per full quota,” he added.
He also said that Hajj packages will be announced by January 25–30.
In response to a question about package prices, he said prices will not be increased this year.
Read more: Biman launches flights to China’s Guangzhou
“Passengers may have to spend a slightly higher amount for the increased dollar price, however,” he said.
A total of 1,27,198 Bangladeshis can perform Hajj this year.
Faridul Haq Khan also said the age limit has been withdrawn and Bangladeshis over the age of 65 can perform Hajj this year.
Read More: No age limit: 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis can perform Hajj this year, deal signed with Saudi
Pre-arrival immigration for all Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims will be completed in Dhaka under the ‘Road to Makkah’ agreement. However, the Saudi authorities may decide to reduce the permitted number of pilgrims if the Covid-19 situation worsens, he concluded.
1st phase of Biswa Ijtema begins Friday
The first phase of three-day ‘Biswa Ijtema’, billed as the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, is set to begin Friday morning on the bank of the Turag river in Gazipur's Tongi.
The authorities concerned have completed the necessary preparations to hold the gathering smoothly.
A good number of foreign devotees from different parts of the world along with local ones have thronged the Ijtema venue to join Ijtema.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages greeted the Muslim devotees on this occasion.
The government set up health camps for the devotees to provide them treatment like the previous years.
However, two devotees died of cold-related disease at the venue on Thursday.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russell inaugurated a private health camp for the devotees today.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhuury Abdullah Al Mamun visited the Ijtema ground today and said that they have taken strict security measures for the devotees.
Apart from this, special security measures have been taken for the foreign devotees who are coming from Dhaka airport to the Ijtema venue, he said.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam said as part of the security measures, watch towers and CCTV cameras were set up in and around the venue.
Besides, members of intelligence in plainclothes will remain deployed here to ensure security, he said.
Read more: 1st phase of Bishwa Ijtema to begin January 13
The Ijtema was not held in the two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first phase Biswa Ijtema will end on Sunday through Akheri Munajat (final prayer).
Tabligh Jamaat has been organising the congregation at the venue since 1967. In 2011, Tabligh split the Ijtema into two phases, dividing the participation of the people of 64 districts, to reduce pressure on the venue and ensure better management.
The second phase of the Ijtema will be held from January 20 to 22 this year.
A 22km long tailback created stretching from Tongi Bridge to Moghbazar in the city on Thursday due to the huge pressure of Ijtema-bound vehicles in Tongi.
The gridlock stretched from Tongi Bridge-Abdullahpur-Airport to Mohakhali-Moghbazar areas of Dhaka resulting in sufferings for commuters.
Read more: First-phase Biswa Ijtema ends with Akheri Munajat
1.27 lakh Bangladeshis to perform hajj this year: State Minister
State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan on Sunday said a total of 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis will be able to perform hajj this year.
“The quota for hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh this year is 1, 27, 198,” he said in reply to a tabled question from ruling Awami League MP elected from Chattogram M Abdul Latif.
In a scripted answer, the state minister said the quota for hajj pilgrims for Bangladesh was 58,628 in 2009, which was increased to around 1.27 lakh in 2019.
Also Read: Over 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis likely to perform Hajj this year, Deal with KSA on Jan 9
He also said due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the quota for Bangladeshis was deceased to 60,146 pilgrims in 2022 like other countries in the world.
Faridul Haque Khan said overall the quota for hajj pilgrims has increased by 148% from 2009 to 2023 which is a big milestone of the success of the current government.
Over 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis likely to perform Hajj this year, Deal with KSA on Jan 9
The government will sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia on January 9 on Hajj and it hopes that over 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis will be able to perform Hajj this year if the previous quota is upheld by the KSA government.
Mohammad Anowar Hossain, senior public relations officer of the Religious Affairs Ministry, told UNB that a three- member team led by State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan will leave for Saudi Arabia on January 7.
The Bangladeshi state minister and Saudi Hajj and Umarh Affairs Minister Dr Tawfiq Bin Al Rabiah will sign the agreement on the behalf of their respective countries.
According to the officials concerned of the ministry, the Saudi government may allow some 1, 27, 198 Bangladeshis to perform Hajj this year considering its population and the improved Covid-19 situation.
Of them, 15, 000 people will perform the Hajj under government management while 1, 12, 198 under private management, the public relations officer said adding that a draft has been prepared as per the plan.
Besides, Bangladesh will request to lift the embargo which restricts people over 65 years to perform Hajj, he said.
Read more: A hajj closer to normal: 1 million Muslims begin pilgrimage
On November 13, 2022, Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral document on ‘Route to Mecca’ which will ease visit of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom.
Under Route to Mecca service agreement, Pilgrims would be able to complete their immigration in Dhaka prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia.
According to the ministry, 1, 27,000 people from Bangladesh performed Hajj in 2019 while the KSA government increased quota for Bangladeshi pilgrims by 10,000 in 2020. But Hajj was not held in the year for Covid-19 pandemic.
Only 60,000 people from Bangladesh were allowed to join the Hajj in 2022 as the Saudi government halved the quotas for pilgrims in different countries.
Read more: PM opens Hajj conference and fair
7 million Umrah pilgrims facilitated in Saudi Arabia in 2022
Saudi Arabia has offered services to seven million Umrah pilgrims from around the world in 2022.
Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah allowed people with tourist visas to perform Umrah during their stay in the country for the first time last year, reports Al Arabiya News.
The ministry also released 13 awareness guides, including Umrah comprehensive guide, for pilgrims in 14 different languages that facilitated pilgrims of all religious, medical, and procedural information before their arrival in the country.
Read more: Route to Mecca: MoU signed to make Bangladeshi pilgrims' Saudi visits easier
Citizens of 49 countries, who applied for tourist visas online and upon their arrival at airports, were also facilitated with service.
It also facilitated pilgrims with all types of visas – instant visa on arrival, family visa, personal visa, and Schengen, UK and US visa holders, which were all issued electronically.
Besides, the Umrah visa had been extended from 30 to 90 days.
Read more: Joint working group to resolve passport renewal issues of Bangladeshis living in Saudi
The ministry launched “Nusuk platform,” which includes 121 services to book and design the Umrah program and issue visas electronically to all countries, as per the media report.
This platform has allowed five countries – Britain, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Kuwait – for the quick issuance of online visas through the Saudi Visa Bio smartphone application of the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
A comprehensive insurance service for the pilgrims was also launched last year to cover the health emergencies, accidents and cancelling or delaying flights.
Read More: How to Perform Umrah from Bangladesh?
Resist misinterpretion of Islam and militancy: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged all to resist the force that misinterprets Islam.
“Islam is a religion of peace. Let’s all eradicate darkness, conflicts, illiteracy, differences, clashes, terrorism, superstitions, militancy from the society as well as resist the force that misinterpret of Islam by bearing the essences of Islam, bearing the essences of Islam in our hearts,” she said.
The premier was inaugurating the first-ever national level conference and fair on Hajj and Umrah Management in the capital, through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban.
Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) in collaboration with the Religion Affairs Ministry organised the event at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here.
The objectives of the event include providing the pilgrims with proper hajj-related information, making them aware about current technology-based hajj management, enabling them directly contact with Hajj agencies and reducing the influence of middlemen and scammers.
The three-day fair remains open to pilgrims from 10am to 8pm every day.
Read: PM opens Hajj conference and fair
Hasina said Islam is the best religion in the world. But this holy religion faces criticisms due to a few militants.
“We’ve adopted zero tolerance policy towards militancy to uphold the peaceful glory of holy Islam by keeping the country free from militancy,” she said.
World-class improvement in Hajj management:
Focusing on her government’s success to improve hajj management, the PM said she had brought many improvements during her first regime from 1996-2001. The hajj management got worse again when Awami League was out of power for eight years after 2001.
“But now we’ve been able to bring world-class improvements in the hajj management since we’ve been in power for a long time since 2009 by the grace of Allah,” she said.
Hasina said e-hajj management is being run in every part including pre-registration and registration of pilgrims, creation of e-health profile, e-ticketing, transport of pilgrims, housing management in Makkah and Medina, and healthcare.
She said her government set up a separate hajj office in Jeddah in 2009 and appointed a counselor (hajj) and a consultant general (hajj) there.
“Every service including visa, passport, housing, medical facilities, travel to Saudi Arabia and return from the hajj were made easier for the hajj pilgrims,” said adding that her government dedicates three airlines including Biman Bangladesh for hajj pilgrims.
She said now the immigration process of hajj pilgrims would be completed in Dhaka thanks to her government’s step. Now Bangladeshi pilgrims would not need to spend time on the immigration process in Jeddah, she added.
The PM said she had taken the measures on her experiences as she found many irregularities in hajj management (for Bangladeshi pilgrims) since she first performed the hajj in 1985 at the invitation of the king of Saudi Arabia.
“I saw such a messy situation with my own eyes. So, when I formed the government, my efforts were there to remove the problems of pilgrims,” she said.
Tough punishment for harassment of hajj pilgrims:
The PM said if any agency cheats or harasses pilgrims, tough administrative measures are being taken against the offender.
“Those who will harass the guests of Allah’s House in the coming days face severe punishment. It’ll have to be remembered,” she said.
The PM said her government made the 'Hajj and Umrah Management Act, 2021 and Hajj and Umrah Management Rules, 2022. As a result, complaints of mismanagement, irregularities and misconduct in hajj management have been remedied, she added.
The PM asked the Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims to know and abide by all local rules and laws in Saudi Arabia in order to uphold the appreciation Bangladesh received from Saudi Arabia in case of hajj management.
In the conference, two seminars will be held on 'Hajj and Umrah Management: Achievements and Actions needed' and 'e-Hajj Management and Route to Mecca Initiatives.'
Read: Age limit for Hajj pilgrims may be lifted from next year: State Minister
Different Hajj agencies, financial organisations and the relevant authorities have installed some 150 stalls and pavilions in the three-day Hajj and Umrah Fair.
Bangladesh is the 4th largest pilgrim-sending country in the world.
In 2022, the Holy Hajj was held with one million pilgrims from all over the world. Of them, 57,885 pilgrims were from Bangladesh.
More than 90 percent of Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims and 100 percent umrah pilgrims go to Saudi Arabia under private management.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Md. Faridul Haque Khan, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan, Religious Affairs Secretary Kazi Enamul Hassan and HAAB president Shahadat Hossain Taslim spoke at the inaugural ceremony.
Read: Hajj cost goes up by Tk 59,000
Route to Mecca: MoU signed to make Bangladeshi pilgrims' Saudi visits easier
Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have signed a bilateral document on ‘Route to Mecca’ which will ease visit of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom.
Under Route to Mecca service agreement, Hajis (Pilgrims) would be able to complete their immigration in Dhaka prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia.
Bangladesh is the first country with whom Saudi Arabia has signed Route to Mecca service agreement considering "excellent relations" between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, said the government.
Another MoU on secirtuy cooperation was also singed between the two countries.
Read more: Joint working group to resolve passport renewal issues of Bangladeshis living in Saudi
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan briefed reporters after a meeting with visiting Deputy Minister of Interior of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Dawood at the Home Ministry on Sunday.
Security cooperation includes capacity building, skills development and exchange of visits between members of the security forces.
The Home Minister said earlier Bangladeshis had to wait in long queues for the immigration process to go to Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj. But from now, the immigration process for going to KSA for Hajj will be completed in Dhaka due to signing ‘Route to Mecca’ MOU .
About Rohingya issue, the Home Minister said that about three lakh Rohingyas are staying in Saudi Arabia and many of them have Bangladeshi passports.
“The Saudi government wanted the renewal of their passports. We have given them assurance to consider the issue. Besides, we also sought the cooperation of the Saudi government to send the Rohingyas back to Myanmar,” he said.
Read more: Saudi Arabia assures assistance in commercial supply of LNG to Bangladesh
Payment of Hajj Finance Loan and DPS Instalment through Nagad
From now on, the customers of Nagad and Hajj Finance Company Limtied will be allowed to deposit their loan installments or pay the installments of savings deposit for Hajj via Nagad app.The agreement between the financial institution and digital company was signed at the head office of the Hajj Finance in Dilkusha in the city recently.The mobile financial service of the Postal Department, Nagad Limited, has signed an agreement with financial institution Hajj Finance to provide services to aspiring Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh or help ease the process of saving money for pilgrimage, says a press release on Tuesday afternoon.In future, the customers of Hajj Finance will be entitled to DPS facility through Nagad app and Nagad customers will get facilities of purchasing nano loans, microloans, retail loans and SME loans.Chief Commercial Officer of Nagad Sheikh Aminur Rahman, Chief of Payment Division Mohammad Mahbub Sobhan, and Deputy General Manager (IFO Insurance) Md Bayezid joined the signing ceremony. On behalf of Hajj Finance, its Managing Director Khandaker Rumi Ehsanul Haque, Deputy Managing Director Mashi-Uddoula and Executive Vice President A F A Md. Shafiuddin were present there among other high officials of the company.
Read: BURO partners with Nagad for easier savings, instalment payments“Nagad has always come up with a variety of facilities relating to mobile banking activities based on Islamic Shariah. For those who are willing to perform Hajj, Nagad has once again brought a good piece of news!” Nagad’s Chief Business Officer Sheikh Aminur Rahman said, dwelling on the new service of facilitating loan of Hajj Finance or paying deposits via Nagad app. “From now on, the customers will be able to receive any service of Hajj Finance sitting at home. No additional time will be spent for receiving loans or paying the instalments of DPS for Hajj.”In consistent with the Islamic way of life, Nagad has been running, for the past three year, ‘Nagad Islamic Account’, under the supervision of a completely Shariah monitoring committee.The customers of Nagad Islamic Account can now deposit as savings their hard-earned money without taking interest as per Shariah. At the same time, transport and other costs of performing Hajj and Umrah can be paid easily from these accounts.The customers can also deposit the premium for Islamic Life Insurance through these accounts sitting at home.