For the second consecutive year, Singaporean pilgrims will have to defer undertaking the haj pilgrimage to Mecca due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said yesterday.
Muis will facilitate the reallocation of haj places for the 900 affected pilgrims to next year.
This will, however, be subject to requirements mandated by the authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as well as the prevailing public health si-tuation around the world and in Singapore.
The Fatwa Committee, a group of senior religious scholars who issue religious rulings and guidance here, has met to discuss the deferment and supports it for health and safety reasons, Muis said.
The annual haj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, slated to begin in mid-July, is one of the world's largest religious gatherings.
In 2019, about 2.5 million Muslims from around the world travelled to Saudi Arabia for it, but this number was significantly smaller last year due to the pandemic.
While Muis has full confidence in Saudi Arabia's management of the pandemic and that appropriate measures will be put in place should the haj be allowed to proceed this year, it said that it had its own considerations of safeguarding the health and well-being of Singaporean pilgrims.
The council noted that as at Tuesday, Saudi Arabia has not yet announced an official decision on the haj this year, and it remains unclear whether it will be open to international pilgrims.
Muis said the haj, which involves a variety of rituals stretching across various religious sites, is a complex operation, and adequate planning is needed to ensure the safety of pilgrims.
This includes assembling and training a medical team to provide medical support to the pilgrims, as well as making preparations for unforeseen circumstances, should they arise.
"Indications are that even if haj 2021 were open to international pilgrims, pilgrims may be subjected to various restrictions and conditions, including age, itinerary, vaccinations, multiple polymerase chain reaction tests as well as quarantine/stay-home notice in KSA and Singapore," said Muis.
"These additional restrictions will require significantly much longer travel duration, and also result in significantly higher haj package prices and affect the pilgrims' preparations for haj."
Muis noted that the evolving nature of Covid-19 and the emergence of new, more contagious variants of the virus mean that despite good control measures to ensure the safety of pilgrims, their health would still be at risk.
The Association of Muslim Travel Agents (Amtas) supports Muis' decision.
The council said that Amtas and haj service agents have agreed that deposits paid by their pilgrims last year, which have been carried over to this year, should be refunded.
It is working with the Saudi Arabia authorities to facilitate the refund of deposits paid, and pilgrims should expect to hear about this from their respective agents within two weeks.
Pilgrims can contact their agents or Muis' Haj Strategic Unit should they have any queries.
Muis said it hopes the decision to defer the haj this year will help ease the anxieties of the affected pilgrims and families.
"This decision will allay Singaporean pilgrims' concerns on the uncertainty and the financial risks involved in performing this year's haj," said Muis.
"This decision will also safeguard the health and well-being of our Singaporean pilgrims and the community at large from the risk of Covid-19 transmission."
