The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) yesterday commended the Association of Muslim Travel Agents of Singapore (Amtas) for its stance on discouraging local Muslims from travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform the umrah, or minor pilgrimage.
The association, which represents more than 50 tour agencies, had earlier called on Muslims in Singapore to be patient and put off plans for the pilgrimage, to protect themselves and the wider community from Covid-19.
The Straits Times understands that Amtas gave a briefing to reporters from the Malay media on Wednesday regarding its position on the umrah.
In its briefing presentation, which was seen by ST, Amtas said that in the short term, it is not advisable for the umrah pilgrimage to go ahead this year. "We ask the Muslim community here to be patient for now," it said.
Millions of Muslims from across the world travel to Saudi Arabia on umrah pilgrimages throughout the year. These involve making the journey to Islam's two holiest sites of Mecca and Medina to perform religious rites.
The Gulf state drew 19 million visitors in 2019, but the number plunged drastically after it imposed travel restrictions last February and stopped foreign pilgrims from entering to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Saudi authorities had earlier announced that the country would start receiving foreign visitors from Nov 1, but later said that it will close its borders once more, following reports of a new, more contagious variant of Covid-19 earlier in December.
Muis said yesterday that Amtas has taken a responsible approach in discouraging the umrah pilgrimage for the time being.
It said in a media release: "Muis shares Amtas' commitment to protect prospective pilgrims and the wider community from the risk of infection. Amtas' approach is also in line with the prevailing national guidelines on overseas travel."
The council noted that the pandemic has introduced many risks and uncertainties over overseas travel.
These include the need for mandatory testing and quarantine requirements, which will apply when the travellers reach their destinations, as well as on their return to Singapore.
There will also be significant costs incurred should the travellers get infected and are hospitalised, said Muis, adding that they may face the possibility of flight cancellations and changes too. It cited these as factors against travelling to Saudi Arabia for the umrah.
Muis added that it will continue working with Amtas and the relevant government authorities to monitor the situation and assess when it would be safe and appropriate for umrah travel to resume.
This will be decided in line with overall national guidelines for overseas travel.
"Our utmost priority remains the safety and well-being of our pilgrims and our wider community," said Muis.
Administrative assistant Madam Rosni, 54, had planned to go on the pilgrimage last March but cancelled the trip due to Covid-19. She was earlier told that she could postpone it to this year, but she is not so hopeful anymore.
"Of course it is disappointing, but I understand that it is no one's fault and everyone is trying their best. If I'm meant to go one day, then I will get to go eventually," she said.
