Bangladesh sets Hajj registration for May 16-18

Bangladeshi pilgrims willing to attend Hajj this year should register from May 16 to May 18 for both government and private packages.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 13 May 2022, 06:14 AM
Updated : 13 May 2022, 06:14 AM

They must make a payment according to their package plans and sign up for pilgrimage deals in those three days, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia has said it will allow one million people – from both inside and outside the kingdom – to perform the Hajj this year compared with only a few thousand local pilgrims over the past two years.

Bangladesh plans to send as many as 57,585 pilgrims this year. At least 4,000 of them can go under the government arrangement, while the rest of them should go under the private packages.

In 2020, the Bangladesh authorities accepted deposits for the Hajj pilgrimage but the plan was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hajj pilgrimage was not allowed in the following year too. Those pilgrims who had registered at that time will be prioritised this year.

In increasing the numbers, the kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, would only be allowed for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are under the age of 65.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all able-bodied Muslims to perform if they can afford it. It is expected to take place in July with the numbers allowed from each country decided under a quota system.