President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed have met with the Maldivian Hajj pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia.
During the meeting, President Solih and First Lady Fazna inquired about the well-being of the pilgrims. This was the first time in recent history that a president had met with Maldivians during their pilgrimage. A total of 453 Maldivian Pilgrims traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj pilgrimage and the president has been closely monitoring their travel and accommodation arrangements.
President Solih and First Lady Fazna traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj pilgrimage on July 4. They are accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Chief of Staff at the President’s Office Ali Zahir, and Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed.
Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir Ali is also in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage. President Solih appointed Minister Zahir as the Amir al-Hajj from the Maldives for this year. Every year, the president appoints a senior state official to act as the head of the pilgrims during the Hajj season.
The Saudi government allowed one million people in the country to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this year, following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions. The amount is less than half of the 2.5 million people that were previously allowed to enter Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.