Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has stated that the government remains steadfast in its decision not to sell Hajj quota slots, even if the government were to receive extra allocations beyond the official Hajj quota.
Responding to a question at the public forum of the ministers, Minister Shaheem said President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has prioritised strengthening the work related to facilitating Hajj pilgrimages for Maldivians. The initiative, which involves improving Hajj Corporation Limited, is expected to bring significant improvements within two years.
The government has decided to give the official 1,000 Hajj quota to Hajj Corporation. Minister Shaheem said that the government will not be selling quota slots, even if the government were to receive extra allocations beyond the official Hajj quota. As such, he said slots would only be allocated to private companies under the supervision of Hajj Corporation and that the companies would be required to follow Hajj Corporation's list when facilitating trips. He added that the purpose of the decision is to reduce the number of pilgrims in the queue.
Additionally, Minister Shaheem noted that the last time a Maldivian Islamic affairs minister visited Saudi Arabia to discuss Hajj and Umrah related issues was 10 years ago when he visited the Gulf kingdom in 2014 to discuss improving services. He also said that Saudi Arabia offers essential religious services to Maldivians and provides the most funds for the construction of mosques in the Maldives, highlighting the importance of senior government officials visiting Saudi Arabia regularly.
Regarding his visit to Saudi Arabia this month, Minister Shaheem said he met the Hajj and Umrah Minister of Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to improve the quality of services provided to Maldivian pilgrims. He also said that during this year’s Hajj, he has made an agreement to arrange for the special accommodation of Maldivians traveling to Arafat and Mina. As such, he said the services for Maldivians in Arafat and Mina are expected to be improved this year, adding that he also discusses increasing the Maldives' Hajj quota.