Ministry selects 50 pilgrims for state-sponsored hajj trip next year

The Islamic Ministry held a draw on Thursday to select 50 individuals who will receive state sponsorship to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage next year.

The 50 individuals were selected in a draw held on Thursday afternoon from among 267 people aged 50 to 69 who are registered as poor with the Maldives Zakat House.

In addition to selecting 50 individuals for the hajj pilgrimage, the Islamic Ministry also drew the names of 25 individuals who as a backup in case the any of the original 50 are unable to embark on the pilgrimage.

The Islamic Ministry said the full list will be published on its website.

Earlier in October, the Islamic Ministry said that there are 376 people registered as poor who have yet to perform hajj. The ministry said that they will all be sent for hajj before the end of the current presidential term.

Maldives usually receives an official quota of 1,000 pilgrims for the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. While a portion of this was previously awarded to private tour groups, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu decided in 2023 that the full quota should go to the Hajj Corporation, following complaints concerning the quality of services provided by private groups and allegations of overcharging.

Of the 1,000 quotas, 850 are reserved for people in order of the queue at Hajj Corporation, 100 are reserved for officials including aides to sickly pilgrims and cooks, and 50 are reserved for people registered as poor who receive state sponsorship for their pilgrimage.

There have been allegations that government officials, specifically officials from the Hajj Corporation, tamper with the hajj quota to enable them or members of their family to skip the long line of hopeful pilgrims who have been waiting for years to make the holy pilgrimage.

However, these allegations are denied by Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed as well as the Hajj Corporation.

In a session of the Parliament back in August, Shaheem said that President Muizzu had given instructions to reduce the number of slots reserved for state officials from the annual hajj quota.

He also announced plans to make more changes this year, including prioritizing first-time hajj pilgrims, introducing a quota for pilgrims aged 65 and above, and introducing a five-year cap for hajj pilgrims.