Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has described this year’s arrangements for the Hajj pilgrimage as the best to date.
Speaking to PSM News during the visit to the Maldivian camp in Mina, Minister Dr Shaheem lauded the near perfect organisation and arrangements by the Maldives Hajj Pilgrimage for Maldivian pilgrims in the face of numerous challenges of a pilgrimage undertaken by over a million people from across the world.
Despite the challenges, according to the Minister, the corporation had delivered the best arrangements in comparison to previous years, which had been echoed by pilgrims during the many interactions he had with them.
However, he did allude to some aspects that need improvement for the future.
"We will hopefully improve on things within our control. As you know, Hajj is under the full control of Saudi Arabia. So there will be things that we want to do that would not be possible. However, this year is remarkable in terms of the excellent arrangements,” he said.
The Minister said that the greatest satisfaction under the excellent arrangements was that no Maldivian pilgrim had gone missing this year.
"Every year the greatest challenge during the Hajj pilgrimage is the journey from Arafat to Muzdalifah, leaving Muzdalifah for the Great Jamra and coming to Mina. So every year it causes pilgrims to get lost due to the difficult nature of the journey. But we have managed to avoid that this year, which is testament to the excellent organisation and arrangements,” he explained.
Minister Dr Shaheem also said this year's excellent Hajj arrangements had allowed pilgrims not to miss a single moment of their stay at Arafat - the most important pillar of the Hajj pilgrimage.
"The biggest pillar of Hajj is Arafat. So the Hajj Corporation has given the pilgrims the opportunity to stay in Arafat from early morning till sunset without them missing a single moment. It is a huge accomplishment,” he said.
Maldivians pilgrims, for the first time had undertaken the pilgrimage under the Makkah Route Initiative.
As part of the Pilgrim Experience Program of Saudi Vision 2030, this initiative allows Maldivian pilgrims to proceed directly to their accommodations upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, thereby significantly enhancing their travel experience.