Low-income individuals to be awarded state-sponsored Hajj trips starting next year as pledged

Islamic Minister Dr. Shaheem Ali Saeed, on Thursday, said the government will begin sending citizens to Hajj at the state’s expense, as pledged by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, starting next year.

It is an electoral pledge of Muizzu to award state-sponsored Hajj trips to 1,000 people during his five-year term.

Minister Shaheem, on Thursday, said that the first batch, as part of this initiative, will be able to travel to perform their Hajj pilgrimage next year.

He added that the specific number of state-sponsored pilgrims will be announced once an official quota has been decided. He further noted that the government was drawing up policies on how the opportunity will be awarded.

President Muizzu announced the pledge during a campaign rally in August. He said individuals who do not have the financial capacity to fund their own trips will be prioritized.