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By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 19 March 2014:
Applications to the department of Haj and Umrah to register to go on Haj . . .[restrict]this year have begun and will continue until 3 April. A lottery to choose successful applicants will be held on 10 April.
However, it is not known how many Libyans will be allowed by the Saudi Arabia authorities to perform Haj which this year falls between 1 and 6 October.
Saudi Arabia operates a policy of allowing one pilgrim per thousand of population from Muslim countries. In Libya’s case, that has meant 7,000 pilgrims from Libya – on an estimated population of seven million, a figure seen as inflated.
Uniquely in 2012, Saudi Arabia granted Libyans 9,000 haj visas in recognition of Libyans’ long suffering and to help redress the fact that pilgrims could not go in 2011. Last year, however, because of expansion works to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, there was a 20-percent cut in all countries’ quotas. Libya’s was cut to 5,600.
A source of Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs told the Libya Herald that the manager of Haj and Umrah department was still in Saudi Arabia discussing numbers.
However, with works at the Grand Mosque continuing, a Saudi official told this paper that the figure would probably be the same as last year. It would be announced in a month’s time, he said.
According the Haj and Umrah department, Muslims resident in Libya cannot register. Applicants must also be over 40 years of age, although wives accompanying them can be younger. Those traveling with parents should not be under 25 years of age. Additionally, applications must be accompanied by health certificates certified by the Ministry of Health.
The department also says that it will reject applications from anyone who has previously performed Haj. That is because the quota of one visa per thousand population means that, in practice, less than 10 percent of Muslims will ever be allowed to perform Haj. [/restrict]
