Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, met with Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al Rabiah, at the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca on November 24, 2024. The meeting focused on various aspects of the Hajj pilgrimage, including preparations for the upcoming Hajj season and issues related to empowering the Muslim community.
“Alhamdulillah, we had a meeting with Minister of Hajj, Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabiah. Alhamdulillah, we were warmly welcomed at Masjid al-Haram. It turns out that there is a very extraordinary meeting place at Masjid al-Haram,” said Nasaruddin in a press release from the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Monday, November 25, 2024.
He explained that the meeting and the dinner were warm. The discussion lasted for more than an hour.
“We talked about many things and he asked the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs to be more prepared for the upcoming hajj as there will be improvements,” said Nasaruddin.
Officials present at this limited meeting were the Head of the Hajj Organizing Agency, Muchammad Irfan Yusuf, the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Implementation, Hilman Latief, the Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Abdul Aziz, the Consul General in Jeddah, Yusron Ambary, and the Hajj Consul of the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah, Nasrullah Jasam.
During the meeting, Nasaruddin requested that Indonesian pilgrims be exempted from staying in Mina Jadid and sought an increase in the number of Indonesian Hajj officers. He emphasized the need for additional support staff, particularly medical personnel, to assist the aging Indonesian pilgrim population.
“We request an increase in our hajj officers, at least [the number is] maintained as in the previous hajj, because we need to provide adequate care for our pilgrims who are mostly elderly,” said Nasaruddin.
